The Coming Storm
by wildspiritontheloose
Summary: After moons of wandering from place to place, RockClan has finally found what it hopes will be a permanent home. Then, tragedy strikes and a prophecy from StarClan warns of the perils that await should they stay. The future of the Clan is placed in the paws of six young Clan cats that must do everything in their power to save their Clan.
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

**Leader**

≻ Sparrowstar : sharp-minded tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Deputy**

≻ Beetlewatcher : black tom with yellow eyes; usually calm and collected _Apprentice : Asterpaw_

**Medicine Cat**

≻ Otterheart : playful brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

**Medicine Cat Apprentice**

≻ Pebblepaw : small grey tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Warriors**

≻ Beartooth : fluffy brown tabby tom with amber eyes

≻ Gentlefern : grey tabby she-cat with green eyes; motherly to all in the Clan

≻ Palethorn : white tom with yellow eyes and a harsh nature

≻ Runningheart : red tabby tom with green eyes; highly competitive _Apprentice : Emberpaw_

≻ Redblaze : fluffy red tabby with green eyes _Apprentice : Starlingpaw_

≻ Mapleblossom : kind dark tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes _Apprentice : Littlepaw_

≻ Morningbreeze : pretty grey tabby with blue eyes

≻ Frostfur : white she-cat with amber eyes _Apprentice : Whitepaw_

≻ Martenfur : flirtatious brown-red tabby tom with amber eyes

≻ Leafpelt : brown tabby tom with amber eyes

≻ Badgerclaw : strong black and white tom with amber eyes

≻ Silverhawk : silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Apprentices**

≻ Emberpaw : fierce dark tortoiseshell with amber eyes

≻ Littlepaw : small white tom with green eyes

≻ Whitepaw : quick white tom with amber eyes

≻ Starlingpaw : black she-cat with yellow eyes; white markings on paws and chest

≻ Asterpaw : light grey and cream she-cat with green eyes

**Queens**

≻ Ripplestream : blue-grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes

≻ Dapplefur : pretty calico she-cat with amber eyes

**Kits**

≻ Brightkit : energetic orange and white tom with amber eyes

≻ Skykit : grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes

≻ Kestrelkit : small tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes; blind

**Elders**

≻ Goldfur : forgetful orange tabby tom with amber eyes

≻ Thistleclaw : black tom with blue eyes; old and grouchy

**A Brief History of RockClan**

The Clan's original home was a thickly wooded forest with towering oaks, lush pines and weeping willows. For moons, the Clan had been happy here, carrying out their warrior duties with pride and raising kits to carry on this tradition. Their happiness ended, however, a mere twenty-eight moons ago, when their territory was invaded by Twolegs. The prey, along with the trees, slowly began to disappear and Falconstar, the leader at that time, decided it would be best for the Clan to leave and avoid its inevitable destruction. He renamed the Clan "BrokenClan", as they would be leaving their homeland. Before the Clan could leave for their new home, however, Falconstar was taken by Twolegs. It is believed he was killed by them, as Sparrowstar received all nine lives when she shared tongues with StarClan on the eve of her leader ceremony.

It fell to the young tortoiseshell to lead the Clan to safety. Though she seemed inexperienced, she was wise in her decisions and precise with her actions. Sparrowstar led the Clan to a sandy island, surrounded by water, which would be their new home for only the next two moons. The island was attacked by badgers, killing two cats - Brookfur and Shadefire, the deputy - and BrokenClan was forced out of the territory. For a moon they wandered, searching for a new place to stay, and finally found a new home on the plains.

Here, new kits were born and new apprentices were named, giving hope back to the shaken members of the Clan. Though the territory was different than their old home in the forest, they soon began to adapt to the cold wind and long grass. This home too did not last long. A fire swept through the grasses, turning everything it touched into ash, including the young Darkpaw, the loyal Jayflight and the loving Greywind, who would not leave her dying mate behind.

Forced to flee, Sparrowstar led BrokenClan to the mountains, where they sought shelter in a cave. They were forced out three moons later by a cougar that had once seemingly lived in the cave they sought refuge in. The first cat to be killed by the cougar was Shortwhisker, the medicine cat. Otterheart, his apprentice, blamed herself for his death, as she should have been with him when he was gathering herbs and the cougar attacked. Other victims of the cougar were Mottledstream and Smokeshade, both killed before the Clan decided to move on, as there was no hope of defeating the giant cat. The death of Smokeshade called for a new deputy and Sparrowstar chose the young Beetlewatcher, then having only 40 moons, much to the surprise of the whole Clan. Once more, the Clan wandered for a moon, following the mountain range until it began to turn into hills and, slowly, a rocky canyon.

It was here that Sparrowstar spied a cliff wall with abandoned dens along its face and declared that this would be the new home of BrokenClan. Turning to the remaining Clan members, she proclaimed, "StarClan has guided us here to what is to be our new home! From now on we shall be called RockClan, as we shall not be defeated. We refuse to lose our home again and we will be as immovable as these rocks that make up our new one." Since then, the Clan has begun adapting to their new home. Though cracked pads are common and eating lizards everyday is not quite to everyone's taste, the Clan remains optimistic that this time, they will not be forced out of their home. They will be as immovable as rocks and fight for their new home, no matter the cost.

place ≻ reason for leaving ≻ time frame

forest ≻ Twoleg invasion ≻ departed 28 moons ago

island ≻ badger attack ≻ arrived 26 moons ago, departed 20 moons ago

plains ≻ fire ≻ arrived 19 moons ago, departed 12 moons ago

mountains ≻ cougar ≻ arrived 12 moons ago, departed 9 moons ago

canyon ≻ arrived 8 moons ago


	2. Prologue

Soft footfalls echoed off of the canyon walls as the patrol padded along. The cliffs around them were turning a vivid orange in the light of the setting sun and the air was just beginning to cool after a day of almost unbearable heat. The patrol stopped by the river that ran through the canyon to hydrate themselves before continuing on their way. They were headed for the south border of their territory, an outcropping from which one could look out onto the rest of the canyon. Not only was it a good place to admire the view, but it also provided a great lookout point for intruders. Many of the mentors also brought their apprentices there to do battle training, as the walls of the canyon opened up here and made it possible to stage practice fights. There was also the added danger of falling off of the outcropping, which made the adrenaline of the training all the more real.

Sparrowstar, who was at the head of the patrol, reached the south border first. Sitting down at the edge of the drop, she wrapped her tortoiseshell tail neatly over her paws and gazed out onto the canyon. Her green gaze was joined by the yellow one of Palethorn, who settled beside her.

"See anything in this blasted sunset?" the warrior asked her. Sparrowstar only gave a half-smile, continuing to the survey the landscape before her.

After a couple of moments, she replied, "I see beauty and danger and the hope of new life for us here." The white tom beside her stifled his snort at her words, but the tortoiseshell appeared unbothered.

"Though it may be hard to see something, it is much easier to hear," came a voice from Sparrowstar's other side. "Listen."

Morningbreeze, the pretty she-cat who had spoken, pricked her ears and the other two did the same. Sure enough, something could be heard - the mewling of kits. Surprised, the tortoiseshell leader turned her head towards the sound, trying to figure out what its source was. She spotted it moments later, there, on a little cliff just below the outcropping they were sitting on. Three little bodies - two grey and one black.

"How did you get there?" she wondered aloud before moving to hop down onto the was quicker and the grey tabby leaped down, careful to avoid stepping on the three kits. Her blue eyes were filled with alarm as she sniffed at their bodies.

"They smell so strongly of milk, they can't be older than a moon," she said, looking up at Sparrowstar and Palethorn. "What should we do with them?" The pitiful mewling got louder and Morningbreeze wrapped her tail around the kits, holding them closer to her.

"I say we leave them," Palethorn growled. "We just got here, we don't need more mouths to feed!" Sparrowstar gazed at the white warrior, knowing that his harsh nature would not allow for helpless kits to take precedence over the rest of the Clan. His own kits had hardly ever gotten a visit from him in the nursery, even before his mate, Lichencloud, died. Sighing, she turned back to the grey she-cat on the ledge below her and the three little kits.

"These three kits are proof that cats can survive in this canyon," she mused. "Perhaps it is a sign from StarClan that this really is our new home?" She knew Palethorn would scoff at the suggestion, but Morningbreeze seemed to accept it. Coming closer to the edge of the outcropping, Sparrowstar leaned down so that Morningbreeze could pass her one of the kits. Placing it on the outcropping, away from the drop, she turned back for the next. Once all three kits were safely off of the ledge and the grey she-cat with them, she turned to Palethorn.

"Take your pick. We'll each carry one back to the camp." Growling something that sounded very much like, "blasted she-cats", the white tom did as he was told and grabbed the black kit, leaving the two grey ones to Sparrowstar and Morningbreeze. As the patrol headed back to camp, the soft mewls of the kits resounded around them and the tortoiseshell leader couldn't help but feel that the three little ones really had been sent by StarClan. She had to believe it. If the canyon was not to be RockClan's permanent home, what was?


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 ❖ Asterpaw**

The copse of trees was alive with the calls of birds and the creaking of branches as the wind swept through them. The leaves were aflutter, creating a rustling noise that masked all others - including those of a light grey and beige cat as she stalked across the forest floor. Her green eyes were trained on one thing: a sparrow that chirped not far away in the branches of an oak tree.

The apprentice trotted with a certain skip in her step, her whiskers quivering and her ears pricked as she took in all that was around her. The she-cat's nose was raised, always moving as she used it to take in the scents around her and discover all of the things she was so curious about. Being so adventurous, as well as having such a keen sense of smell, made her want to explore as much as she could, despite the fact that she was being watched as she hunted.

Her nose was invaded by the scent of another cat and the light she-cat decided to ignore the forest around her, though it continued to call to the adventurous side of her, and turned to the task at hand. Approaching the oak tree, she sat at its base, green eyes gazing calmly up at the branches where the sparrow continued to sing, unaware of her presence. A small smile slipping onto her jaw, she turned away and padded over to the neighbouring oak, small claws digging into its bark as she began to climb.

Being so small, the ascent did not take very much effort on her part, and she was soon situated on a branch that hung just above where the sparrow was perched. Her nose continued to twitch as she scaled the length of the branch, careful to keep her claws out to avoid slipping and falling to the forest floor below. The scent of the sparrow was sharp and sweet and the she-cat felt her mouth water at the prospect of fresh-kill. Bunching her muscles beneath her, the apprentice sprang off of the branch and into the neighbouring tree, aiming for the branch where the sparrow waited.

Her aim was true and she caught the sparrow with one paw, digging her claws into the branch with the other. Just like that, the bird was hanging limp from her claws and she let it drop to the ground below, the smell of death beginning to tinge the sweetness of its scent. It was this new scent, the powerful and dark one of death, that caused her to close her eyes, swallowing as her mind was filled with horrible images.

But she was used to such interruptions; smells often reminded her of past events and she was beginning to learn how to shut them out, even if her approach was not all that effective yet. The images faded quickly and she opened her green orbs to see the black pelt of a cat picking at the bird she had dropped.

Yowling defiantly, she leaped from the branch, landing squarely on his shoulders. The raven-furred tom sprang away, hissing as the light apprentice began to laugh. Bending over to check if the sparrow was still in tact, she turned to her mentor.

"How'd I do this time, Beetlewatcher?" she asked, face lit up by a smile. The apprentice was aware that she had done well, especially with her decision to climb the neighbouring tree in order to get closer to her prey. It was a trick the black tom had taught her and she always made sure to take his words to heart. He was the deputy and a great hunter at that, making him the best mentor she could have hoped for.

"You did very well, Asterpaw," he replied calmly. "I didn't expect you to use that trick, but you definitely surprised me." Beetlewatcher's fur was not quite lying flat yet from the scare Asterpaw had given him when attacking him from above, and the apprentice enjoyed seeing the usually calm and collected tom slightly frazzled. It was not often that she could catch him off-guard.

With a flick of his black tail, he turned back in the direction of the RockClan camp. Obediently, Asterpaw followed, the sparrow hanging from her jaw. The camp was a long ways away and the sun was beginning to set. She heard Beetlewatcher calling for his sister, Otterheart, who had come with them to the little copse of trees near the Carrion Place to look for herbs. Catmint, in particular, grew here, and with leaf-fall swiftly approaching the medicine cat did not want to be left without the only herb that was known to cure greencough. If not for Otterheart's need to stock up the medicine storage, Asterpaw might have been hunting lizards in the canyon instead. The Carrion Place was only visited when certain herbs that only grew nearby were needed. Otherwise, it was strictly off limits, especially to apprentices like herself. Being the apprentice of the deputy certainly had its bonuses, though it also meant he was busier than other mentors.

The trio set off, Beetlewatcher and Asterpaw with prey in their mouths while Otterheart carried catmint in her own, the leaves invading Asterpaw's nose with their sharp scent. Fighting the urge to sneeze, the apprentice inhaled the smell of the sparrow instead and, though she tried to block out the images the smell of death brought with it, it was to no avail.

Dark and heavy clouds hung in the grey sky and the snarls of felines rose to meet the heavens. There was no light, but teeth and claws continued to glint in the darkness and the mismatched colours of eyes glowed through the gloom. The air was thick with the smell of blood, an unpleasant smell that left a metallic taste in one's mouth. Shrieks could be heard, as well as threats being delivered in low growls, almost too soft to hear.

"Those kits will be the death of us," someone growled. "Let go of them or it'll be your body bleeding on the ground and not theirs." The rest of the words were lost as cats began to argue, voices rising in volume until they were screeching over one another. The noise was suddenly joined by a smell, the one that tastes metallic, and yowls and screams and cries were heard, but the image was blurry and the colours too dark. Only a pair of yellow eyes, filled with hatred and cruelty, could be seen. The pupils shifted to meet Asterpaw's gaze and she could feel her heart begin to race.

Frightened by the images, the apprentice dropped the sparrow and the smell of death receded enough for her to be able to push the images away. Breathing hard, she stopped to collect herself and Beetlewatcher and Otterheart halted, watching her with wide eyes. Dropping his prey to the ground, Asterpaw's mentor approached her slowly so as not to scare her and wrapped his tail comfortingly around her, murmuring soothing words until his apprentice's breathing began to slow and soften, her body no longer quaking with the sharp breaths. It was not the first time he had had to deal with one of Asterpaw's flashbacks.

"I'll carry the fresh-kill for you," he whispered softly and Asterpaw just nodded. The feeling of failure filled her, but she refused to come near the sparrow. The images and sounds and scents of the flashback still filled her head and she was unwilling to have them repeat themselves. Falling into step behind her mentor as they continued back towards the camp, the light she-cat hung her head in defeat.

The grass under her paws soon turned to rocks and then into a plateau that lead to a canyon. The red rock under her paws was made brighter by the light of the setting sun and Asterpaw shuddered when she realized that it was almost the colour of blood. For some reason, she could almost smell that distinct scent that only blood had and taste the metal in her mouth, but the apprentice brushed it aside, thinking it to be a remnant from her vision.

Yet, the smell grew and the taste inched into her mouth until all she could taste was that metal. Her fur slowly beginning to rise on her scruff and back, Asterpaw raced past Beetlewatcher and Otterheart, who had not seemed to pick up on the scent yet. Noticing her agitation, the two sped up, following the she-cat as she raced off across the plateau.

The red rock ended in a steep cliff suddenly, but Asterpaw knew where the path leading down its side was and continued to run. Her claws provided a sort of grip on the rocks, meaning she could still travel quickly, though much more dangerously, down the canyon wall.

"Asterpaw, slow down!" she heard from behind her, but the smell of blood and death filled her nose and the apprentice was deaf and blind to all else around her. The path she was on wound down the cliff face and she followed it blindly, her keen sense of smell having taken over all her senses. The path went past the warriors den, which was the highest den on the cliff face, then past her own, continuing on past the medicine den, nursery and elders den before reaching an end on the canyon floor.

Hopping down the last few tail lengths to the ground, Asterpaw twisted her head around the camp, searching for the source of the scent. Her eyes landed on a cat that was being carried in, the body limp. Its tortoiseshell pelt was stained in places with blood, the source of the metallic taste, and, underneath the overwhelming smell of death, there was something else: poison.

The sky was beginning to darken and the air was filled with voices, rising up to the sky just as they had in her vision. The apprentice could feel her heart rate quickening once more as the memory pushed at the back of her mind, begging to be let in even though she tried her hardest to keep it at bay.

Flinching away from the scene, the apprentice turned to leave before the scents got too strong and sucked her back in to another flashback. Beetlewatcher and Otterheart rushed past her as she did so and her mentor said something to her, but Asterpaw could not be sure as to exactly what it was.

Cries that sounded very much like the name of RockClan's leader, Sparrowstar, rose behind her as she ran from the scene, her nose already picking out the scents of her siblings. If there was anyone who would be able to explain her flashback and why it had happened moments before the scene before her, it would be one of them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey there! If you've gotten this far, thank you so much for sticking through the prologue and the first chapter, it truly means a lot. I know that the story is just getting started, but I would love to know what you think of it so far! Characters? Descriptions? Setting? What you think will happen next? Any comment at all helps me improve my writing or supports me in some way. Thanks :)**


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 ❖ Emberpaw**

"Catch me if you can!" Her mentor's voice bounced off of the canyon walls as Runningheart raced past her, his ginger fur almost blending in with the rock around him. Shaking her head, Emberpaw picked up the pace, deciding to humour him. She was used to her mentor's competitive nature and joined in to his competitions, if only to get out of cleaning dens for the night. Her tortoiseshell body moved over the canyon floor in pursuit of the red tabby, wondering what the stakes would be this time around. Behind her, she could hear Sparrowstar laughing at her brother's antics and the cheering of Martenfur as he egged the two on.

"Last one to Big Rock is fetching the other prey tomorrow morning!" Runningheart yelled over his shoulder and Emberpaw rolled her eyes at this, but spurred herself on all the same. Despite her tendency to be harsh, resulting in her denial of his challenges when she was in a bad mood, the wild side of her had taken over today and she found herself enjoying their little chase. Her paws pounded against the rocky ground in a steady rhythm and the apprentice found herself gaining on her mentor. A small giggle erupted from her as the wind rushed past her, tickling her whiskers.

Runningheart reached Big Rock first, but the tortoiseshell apprentice was not too disappointed. The stakes had not been very high and she had been in the race more for the enjoyment of it, not the win. Her mentor, on the other hand, was always in it to win it, and he crowed over his victory now. Rolling her eyes once more, Emberpaw accepted defeat, knowing there was no way to get away from his competitiveness; she had already tried. Sometimes, she really wondered what had driven Sparrowstar to pair her with the ginger tom since, oftentimes, he acted more kit-like than she did. It was almost as if the roles were reversed. Then again, the leader was Runningheart's sister, which might have driven her to make the decision in the hopes that a despondent apprentice would serve to dull his competitiveness.

Sparrowstar, who had walked up behind them, did not at all seem bothered by the fact that her plan, if it had been so, had not worked. In fact, she seemed in high spirits and her green eyes were alight with laughter. Flicking her tail across Runningheart's ear, she chided him playfully for fooling around when he should be patrolling. Emberpaw watched their exchange, wondering if the two had always been like this. The young tortoiseshell herself had two brothers and all they ever did was fight - not playfully, like the two warriors before her, but as siblings often did.

"Nice try, Emberpaw. Perhaps you should race me sometime, I'd make sure you won." Martenfur's voice was suddenly in her ear and the tortoiseshell flicked her tail in annoyance. The red-brown tabby was known for flirting with all the she-cats in the Clan, regardless of whether they had mates or not. The single she-cats were often subjected to more crude flattery than those with mates, but even they were not safe from small compliments and soft flattery when it came to Martenfur.

"And I'd make sure to leave you in the dust," was her sharp-tongued reply. Refusing to even so much as give Martenfur a fake smile, Emberpaw waited patiently for her mentor or leader to give her further instructions. The sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon and she assumed that they would be heading back to the camp soon. Sparrowstar was currently marking the border, which confirmed the apprentice's suspicions.

At Sparrowstar's nod, the patrol was moving back in the direction of the Clan's camp. They were silent as they moved, their only accompaniment the soft swishing of the wind, which provided a reprieve from the last of the sun's hot rays. With any luck, the wind would cause the canyon to cool overnight, making sleep more comfortable. Emberpaw could not remember the last night she hadn't woken up sweating since RockClan had arrived in the canyon. It seemed that greenleaf was much harder in the canyon than it was in the forest because of the heat; heatstroke seemed almost more commonplace now than greencough was in leaf-bare. It was because of this that the Clan made sure to have an early start to their day, dawn patrols going out before the sun had a chance to rise and evening patrols going out just as the sun was setting. During the hottest parts of the day, the Clan spent their time in the coolness of their dens, going out only once the heat was not so deadly.

The patrol was accompanied by their shadows as they moved through the cooling air, their black partners stretching out across the length of the canyon and up the red walls. Emberpaw shot her mentor an unamused look when he pointed out that his shadow was bigger than hers and, as a result, she had lost to him once more.

Suddenly, Sparrowstar stopped and the patrol with her. Emberpaw watched as the tortoiseshell sniffed at the air, her ears flicking this way and that as she tried to pick up something the apprentice could not hear. Straining her own senses to figure out just what her leader had sensed, Emberpaw did the same.

After a moment, Sparrowstar relaxed, mewing that she must have overreacted to the sound of the wind. Runningheart flicked his tail over her flank playfully and Martenfur shrugged, turning to Emberpaw to make a comment of some sort.

The apprentice, however, was not paying attention. While the rest of the patrol had given up their search for any scent or sound of an intruder, Emberpaw was still searching. '_Everything will be alright,_' was the thought that flitted through her head, followed by, '_just an overreaction, of course,_' but the thoughts weren't her own. Shaking her head, she turned back to the warriors she was following.

That was when she saw the glint of fangs out of the corner of her eye and, fur bristling, she turned in the direction of the predator, a fierce snarl on her face. The tortoiseshell found herself staring at a long, skinny body covered with brown and red scales that blended into the canyon floor almost perfectly. Every time the creature moved, Emberpaw heard the faintest rattling sound, like the sound bones made when they scraped across each other.

"Watch out!" she cried as the rattlesnake moved towards Sparrowstar, Runningheart and Martenfur, but by that point it was too late. In horror, she watched as the snake pulled its head back, then lunged forward once more, burying its long sharp fangs in the throat of the tortoiseshell leader.

In that moment, it felt as if Emberpaw's head might explode, not from the shriek that Sparrowstar gave off as the fangs slipped under her skin, but from the scream she heard in her own head. It was as if she were hearing Sparrowstar's thoughts as the poison entered her, the pain resounding through Emberpaw's head, causing black spots to appear before her amber eyes.

And then, just as suddenly as they had come, the sounds were gone, and the only thing running through Emberpaw's head was, "_My last life... I'm dying_". Eyes stretched wide, the apprentice turned to the rest of the patrol, taking in the tragic sight. Sparrowstar was twitching on the ground of the rock canyon, Runningheart standing over her with a stricken look on his face. Martenfur stood nearby, the rattlesnake who was the perpetrator of the crime hanging from his jaw.

The two toms shifted Sparrowstar onto their broad shoulders in an attempt to move her back towards the camp. Emberpaw grabbed the rattlesnake, careful to avoid the fangs should there still be poison on them, and followed. She tried to stay a little further behind the two warriors; if she got too close, her head began to swim from the multitude of thoughts flitting through it.

The patrol did not get far before Sparrowstar's breathing turned shallow. She asked for her warriors to stop and leave her, but they continued, unwilling to leave her behind. Finally, she was forced to command them to stop, at which they placed her on the hard floor of the canyon.

No one spoke, their eyes on Sparrowstar as she took in shuddering breaths. All three of them knew it was too late to do anything - the camp was too far away and, by the time they got there, the tortoiseshell leader would be dead. It was painful to watch her die, but Emberpaw kept her eyes trained on her leader, unable to look away as death fell upon her.

"Bury me on the cliff," Sparrowstar rasped, her green eyes closing as it became harder and harder to breath. "So I can... I can watch over... my Clan." The she-cat let out one last short, shallow breath before becoming absolutely still.

Emberpaw heard her mentor let out a sob as he stood over his sister, pushing his nose into the fur of her scruff, where the warmth of life was still present. The apprentice dropped the rattlesnake, disgusted by its very existence.

"We should get her back to camp," Martenfur whispered to Runningheart and the ginger tom just nodded, likely finding it hard to say anything. Emberpaw watched as they lifted Sparrowstar's body between them and, with slow steps, began to carry her back in the direction of camp.

The tortoiseshell apprentice was left sitting in the last light of the setting sun, watching the figures of the warriors becoming smaller and smaller as they walked away. It felt as if she could not move, her muscles frozen in place with the shock of what had just happened.

It was only when she heard Martenfur call for her that she lifted herself to her paws and, with one last look at the rattlesnake that had killed Sparrowstar, turned to follow the diminished patrol.


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 ❖ Martenfur**

Grief weighed down his spirit just as Sparrowstar's body weighed down his muscled shoulders. The red-brown tabby kept his steps steady, focussing on anything but the stench of poison and death that seemed to surround him. The beating of his heart became erratic, fear entering the usually fearless warrior as unbidden thoughts entered his mind.

_What do we do now that Sparrowstar is gone?_ he thought. _How can we continue on without the leader who brought us here?_ The idea that RockClan would have to go on without the tortoiseshell leader, the only leader he had known his whole life, was almost unbearable. Martenfur wondered if others felt the same way. The slump of Runningheart's shoulders and the tears that continued to leak from the ginger tom's eyes told Martenfur that nothing would be the same now that Sparrowstar was gone.

The trek to camp was long, but the warrior was unsure whether it was because of the physical distance or the mental exhaustion that time seemed to drag on. Whether he wanted to get back to camp at all was debatable, as that was when the questions would start. Judging from Runningheart's frail state and Emberpaw's youth, Martenfur was the one who would be doing most of the answering and, despite his general air of confidence, it was not something that he looked forward to.

The moment arrived all the same. Laying the body of the tortoiseshell down before the Fallen Tree that had been her den, Martenfur turned to see his Clanmates staring down from their dens and various locations around the camp. Their eyes were wide and grief was already descending upon the camp like a dark cloud. Runningheart remained beside the body of his sister, staring down at her dull fur. To the red-brown tom's surprise, Emberpaw remained nearby as well, sitting calmly as cats began to approach them.

The first cry came from Dapplefur, Sparrowstar's sister, who came running from the nursery. Her amber eyes were filled with dismay and she collapsed next to her sister's body almost as soon as she reached it, Runningheart putting his tail comfortingly around her shoulders. The others began to crowd in around them in order to get a better look and Martenfur felt the need to say something in order to give the grieving cats some space.

No sooner had he opened his mouth than a different voice rang out across the canyon camp. The crowd stopped and turned to let the deputy through their midst, who stopped right before the limp body of Sparrowstar, yellow eyes taking in the damage carefully.

"What happened?" Beetlewatcher asked, his voice low and soft.

All eyes, including Martenfur's own, turned to Runningheart. If anyone was able to explain what had happened, it would be the senior warrior on the patrol. But the silence dragged on and Runningheart said nothing, seemingly lost in a different world.

Martenfur suddenly found himself the centre of attention. Though he did not mind attention in the slightest, he found the calmness in Beetlewatcher's gaze both irritating and admirable. How could the deputy remain so collected at a time like this? His own were probably filled with loss and fear. Avoiding looking the black tom straight in the eye, Martenfur answered his question as confidently as he could.

"We were patrolling near Big Rock when a rattlesnake attacked. It struck Sparrowstar in the throat and... Well, there was no time to react because of how fast it all happened. We were too far away to call for help or get back here in time to save her." There was a stunned silence following his words and all the young warrior could do was turn to the limp body of his former leader and whisper, "I'm sorry."

The silence was now broken by a soft murmuring that slowly began to crescendo, like water as it hit the rapids, until the canyon was filled with the voices of disbelieving and terrified cats.

"Why would StarClan ever do this to us?" Gentlefern asked, her voice filled with misery.

"Not everything is in StarClan's paws," replied Beartooth, her mate, attempting to console her.

"Perhaps it is a sign?" asked Badgerclaw.

"What if we are in danger here?" was Silverhawk's reply.

"We can't leave, we just got here!" Ripplestream wailed, wrapping her tail protectively around her two small kits.

The queries went back and forth, a general panic beginning to rise among the gathered cats, until Martenfur felt that he could no longer listen. Where were his Clan members' loyalties? Did they really believe that StarClan would have taken Sparrowstar in such a way to give them a sign? Surely she or Otterheart would have received an omen instead?

He turned to Beetlewatcher and found the tom's eyes on him, an understanding look already in his eyes without the warrior having so much as breathed a word. Though the two did not have very much in common, they agreed on the one thing that truly mattered: loyalty. The deputy jumped onto the Fallen Tree in one fluid movement and his yowl brought everyone to attention.

"Cats of RockClan," Beetlewatcher began. "We are gathered here today to honour the passing of a great leader - Sparrowstar. It was her courage and strength of spirit that got us to where we are now. Let us not fight over what is to be done now, but trust that she knew what she was doing when she brought us here." Here, the black tom paused, surveying the crowd for any sign of discontent. While there was no protest, a few grumbles could be heard.

Until, that was, the other patrol arrived, coming back from their patrol of the south border. Palethorn, who was leading the patrol, stopped short when his eyes fell on Sparrowstar. Behind him, Mapleblossom's eyes widened, Littlepaw's fur bristled and Morningbreeze let out a cry of shock.

"What is the meaning of this?" Palethorn growled.

Feeling the need to explain, Martenfur stepped forward. "A rattlesnake came out of nowhere and bit Sparrowstar in the - "

"I didn't ask you," Palethorn hissed before turning to Beetlewatcher. Martenfur's eyes flashed in annoyance when the pale tom did not interrupt the deputy, even though he began to explain with the exact same words the younger warrior had used.

"We will carry out vigil for Sparrowstar tonight and bury her in the morning," Beetlewatcher continued, eyes falling on the two elders of the Clan, Goldfur and Thistleclaw. The old cats bowed their heads and began to discuss where the former leader should be buried.

"On the cliff," a weak voice said. It took Martenfur a moment to realize that it was Runningheart speaking. His voice was distorted and soft, a vast difference from his usual boisterous one. "She wanted to be buried on the cliff."

Palethorn scoffed. "Why on the cliff? Her remains will rot if they are that close to the sun. She should be buried somewhere in the shade." Beside him, Frostfur nodded her head in agreement.

"She wanted to be buried on the cliff so that she could watch over her Clan." The statement came from behind him and Martenfur was shocked that Emberpaw had said anything, let alone in response to her despondent father. It was no secret that the white tom hated his daughter, for reasons unknown to many in the Clan, and the look in the tom's eyes as he turned to the apprentice made Martenfur feel sorry for her. Instinctively, he moved in between the senior warrior's piercing gaze and Emberpaw's form.

Beetlewatcher was quick to break up the tension. "She will be buried on the cliff, as was her wish. The sun is quickly disappearing and, now that Sparrowstar has been taken from us, the next deputy must be appointed before moonhigh." There was a shuffling within the crowd at these words and, though Martenfur could not be sure, he thought he saw Palethorn sit up a little straighter.

The words rang out across the canyon from atop the Fallen Tree. "I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of RockClan will be Redblaze." Martenfur felt himself swell with pride as he watched his old mentor bow his head in gratitude. The warrior was always humble and generous and would make a fine deputy.

"May you remember that your loyalties are to your Clan and not necessarily to your leader, Redblaze, and may you serve the Clan for many moons to come. Now, let us eat and share tongues before mourning commences. I will set out for Moon Rocks tomorrow to receive my nine lives." With that, Beetlewatcher disappeared from the Fallen Tree and led the way to the fresh-kill pile, which was stocked with all manners of canyon-dwelling creatures.

Martenfur decided to wait before grabbing some fresh-kill; he did not feel like socializing just yet, which was unusual for a flirtatious tom like him, and was not that hungry anyways. Instead, he pondered Beetlewatcher's words to Redblaze and realized that maybe those words had been meant for the whole Clan, and not just the new deputy. Frowning, the red-brown tabby wondered how his fellow Clan members could even think about disloyalty. As far as he was concerned, loyalty was most important when it came to his Clan. With a sigh, he began making his way across the camp when he became aware of eyes on his back.

Emberpaw was sitting just as she had been when they first arrived in camp. The only difference was the bristling of her tortoiseshell fur, which was only now beginning to lie flat. She seemed lost in thought and her eyes gave nothing away.

"Hey, you alright?" Martenfur decided to ask, his usual flirtatious tone replaced by a sombre one after the events of the day. The amber of her gaze washed over him and he made sure to stare right back, concentrating. After experiencing such an event as this, he felt as if the two should have had a connection. Maybe a shared sorrow, an understanding, or a trust of some sort. Instead, the apprentice seemed more detached than ever and, try as he might, Martenfur was not able to break through her shell.

"I'm fine," she said icily. "Goodnight, Martenfur." With that, she got up and, with a lash of her tail, moved past him.


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 ❖ Pebblepaw**

_I wonder when Otterheart will be back_, the small grey tom wondered as he bustled about the medicine den. It was not that he minded being alone - in fact, he preferred the solitude of the medicine den to the cramped and noisy confines of the apprentice den he visited sometimes to see his sisters. Though he did not mind the medicine cat's company while he cleaned, he was more concerned with the herbs she would be bringing in and whether they would fit in the spaces he had left for them in the medicine storage. The better part of the morning and afternoon had been spent cleaning and organizing, something that Pebblepaw was always praised for by his mentor, Otterheart.

A sudden commotion brought him out of his meditative state and he peeked out of the entrance to the den, surveying the crowd below. The unmistakeable scent of blood, coupled with the tang of poison, rose to meet him and the medicine cat apprentice quickly withdrew into the den. His breathing had suddenly turned shallow and his head was swimming. The air inside the den smelled of the sweetness of juniper and the sharpness of catmint; the rest of the camp smelt of death, a smell that Pebblepaw was sure he would never quite get used to.

"You alright?" came a muffled voice from the entrance of the den.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Pebblepaw asked innocently, smoothing down his fur and turning to see Otterheart.

The tabby she-cat dropped the catmint and yarrow she was holding in her jaws onto the floor of the den. "I know that the scent of blood is something you're not quite comfortable with." Pebblepaw avoided meeting her eyes and hung his head, knowing that she was right. It had been one of the first things his mentor had picked up on. Though his strengths as a medicine cat apprentice were many, his weaknesses equalled them; not being able to handle blood too well was one of them.

He was not quite sure where he had gotten it from. Perhaps it was associated with an event in his early kithood, which he could hardly remember, and his body just automatically rejected the scent. Either that, or StarClan had decided that it might be funny to see a cat that was scared of blood. Being the future medicine cat of RockClan, Pebblepaw just assumed that he would have to pretend that the blood didn't bother him. Just thinking about spending his life pretending made Pebblepaw feel anxious, let alone actually doing it.

"We'll work on it." The tabby she-cat nudged her apprentice's head with her own, letting him know that it was alright. "You can stay in here and sort while I go find out what is going on." Nodding, the tom turned to the freshly picked herbs.

No sooner had Otterheart left than two new figures were standing in the entrance. These two were much smaller, one a light cream colour, rather than the darker tabby of his mentor, and the other black with white markings. Even through the scent of the catmint in his jaws, Pebblepaw could tell that they were his sisters, Asterpaw and Starlingpaw.

"Do you have a moment?" Asterpaw asked quietly, glancing behind her. She looked apprehensive, and almost fearful. After receiving a nod from him, the she-cat continued.

"I had another vision."

Pebblepaw turned to her immediately, hastily putting the catmint away so that he could give Asterpaw his full and undivided attention.

"What happened this time?"

"I was carrying some fresh-kill when I inhaled the scent of it," Asterpaw started, shuffling her paws nervously. "It smelt of blood and death and that must have triggered the memory. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by darkness and everywhere around me there were cats fighting. And then, there was a voice, saying something about kits and how they would be the death of 'them' - whoever 'them' is."

Asterpaw paused and the trio was silent. Starlingpaw blinked her large yellow eyes in the dark, causing her sister to shiver as she remembered another detail.

"The speaker had yellow eyes that turned to me at the end of the vision." This, in turn, made Pebblepaw's fur stand on end as he remembered his own dreams.

"I've seen something similar," he confessed. "A couple nights ago I had a dream. In it, there was also a battle, but the words were different. The speaker said, 'These kits could lead us to victory'. I woke up after he turned his yellow eyes to me as well." The siblings exchanged wary looks as each one tried to figure out what the two visions meant. Starlingpaw spoke first.

"Well, that doesn't make any sense, does it? Say the speaker is the same cat in both visions. These kits they're referring to can't mean both death and victory."

"Suppose they are two different cats?" replied Asterpaw. "Would it mean that the kits are the death of one group and mean victory for another?"

Both she and the black apprentice turned to Pebblepaw, who was busy mulling over the information. They could tell from the twitching of his whiskers that he was doing some deep thinking.

"We will both need to try to remember as much as we can from the visions." The grey tom, knowing that the two visions could not have been coincidental, also knew that they would not be able to reach a conclusion without further research. "Maybe what the cat's fur looked like, what gender they were, a description of their voice? Anything that we would be able to compare in order to make sense of all of this."

Before Pebblepaw could continue, the sound of Beetlewatcher's voice calling a Clan gathering floated up to the den. The tom nodded to his sisters, signalling that they could talk later, and took a deep breath. With it, he inhaled as much of the scents of the medicine cat den as he could and stepped onto the path that ran down the cliff edge just outside of the den entrance.

Below him, by the Fallen Tree, his fellow Clan members had gathered around something - no, someone - and the scents made the apprentice's fur stand on end. Not wanting to move closer, should the smell of blood make him dizzy once more, Pebblepaw narrowed his eyes in an effort to see what was going on. Starlingpaw and Asterpaw had emerged behind him and, being the curious she-cats they were, began to pad down the cliff path right away. Asterpaw stopped just after the nursery entrance while Starlingpaw continued down. The black she-cat stopped suddenly, turning back to her siblings with a look of anguish on her face.

By this point, Pebblepaw could not hold his breath any longer. What he had been holding in was replaced with air that smelled of Sparrowstar and left a metallic taste in his mouth. Gagging on the unmistakeable scent and taste of blood, the apprentice retreated into the medicine den, where he sat in his nest trying to catch his breath. A sob escaped his throat and the apprentice curled up in the moss in an effort to keep any more from emerging.

Otterheart returned not long after and, taking in Pebblepaw's distressed state, curled herself around him and began to awkwardly try to comfort him. The grey tom was greatful for the effort she was making to try and get him to feel better, but he knew that the she-cat did not like comforting others, whether they were patients or, in this case, scared apprentices.

Once he thought that his episode was over, the apprentice lifted his head to meet Otterheart's yellow eyes with his own. Though her body was warm, the look in her eyes was cold, and that was all he needed to see to know it was true.

"Why?" he croaked.

All Otterheart could do was shake her head. Pebblepaw turned away, burying his nose in the desert moss of his nest. He should have known that his mentor would not be able to answer his question. Even Sparrowstar herself, had she still been alive, would not have been able to explain the mysterious workings of StarClan. The tortoiseshell had taught him everything when it came to their warrior ancestors: who they were, why they existed, what they did for the Clan. And now, he was alone when it came to that aspect of his training. StarClan knew that Otterheart would never be able to teach him.

_This can't be happening_, he thought. _It just simply can't be true_. But even as he tried to convince himself that this was just some cruel joke that StarClan was playing on all of them, there remained a voice somewhere deep inside that told him that it must be true.

Sparrowstar, his beloved leader, was gone.

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><p><strong>AN: Is it weird that the medicine cat apprentice is scared of blood? I've been toying with the idea and I thought it might be interesting. Let me know what you think :)**

**If you'd like to read a little bit about different Clan members, I invite you to read my short stories, _Worst Nightmare_ (which features Littlepaw, who is Emberpaw's brother) and _You Are_ (which is about Sparrowstar when she was still a 'paw). **

**As always, all reviews are greatly appreciated :)**

**- Spirit**


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 ❖ Starlingpaw**

The mornings were cool here in the canyon, a welcome reprieve from the heat that filled the camp during the day, which was why Starlingpaw did not mind getting up early for dawn patrols. She was always the first one up, awake before her mentor most days.

Today was different. Many of the senior warriors had stayed up all night, sitting vigil with Sparrowstar, and were now ascending the cliff path to their den, passing the black apprentice as she travelled in the opposite direction. Her mentor was attempting to put patrols together with the few warriors he had, as well as find some stronger cats to help carry Sparrowstar up the cliff face for burial. Goldfur and Thistleclaw were loudly arguing that they would not need help, being the strong former warriors they were. Starlingpaw felt a smile twitch at her whiskers as the old and grouchy Thistleclaw began to talk about his strength in battle and how it had never left him. From what she had seen when cleaning his den, the tom could hardly get out of his nest most mornings, let alone carry the former leader up the cliff.

Beetlewatcher broke up the fight, his voice weary. It was settled that Beartooth and Runningheart would help the elders while the other Clan members went about their duties. Sensing that patrols would be leaving soon, Starlingpaw approached her mentor.

The big red tabby smiled as she approached and swatted at her with his fluffy tail by way of greeting. Starlingpaw swatted back with her paw, the feel of the fine hair soothing against the cracks in her pads. The rock floor of the canyon was hard on all of the cats in the Clan, but the apprentice had especially soft pads that tore and cracked with even the smallest amount of travel.

"South border patrol!" Redblaze called out, gesturing to Frostfur and Whitepaw. The two white cats joined the deputy and his apprentice and set out for the Training Cliff, which marked the south end of their territory. The warriors took up the lead with the apprentices trailing behind.

Whitepaw was older than Starlingpaw and her siblings by two moons and the she-cat did not know him very well. From what she had seen of him during training, he was a strong fighter and could beat all of the other apprentices - except for Emberpaw, his sister, that was. When it came to hunting, however, she had outmatched him five times out of six when Redblaze and Frostfur had pitted them against each other. The one loss had been because her pads started bleeding and she was forced to admit defeat.

The other apprentice seemed to be thinking about the same thing. "Thank StarClan we're not hunting today. I don't think I would be able to take losing to a younger apprentice again." His voice was bored and Starlingpaw could hear a note of contempt in it. No surprise, seeing as Palethorn was his father.

For a moment, Starlingpaw thought of commenting on how she was glad they were not training today for fear that she might lose to an immature apprentice such as himself again, but thought better of it. Instead, she smiled sweetly and told him that she was just doing her best to feed their Clan. Whitepaw grumbled in response but did not attempt to speak to her again.

The patrol followed the stream that ran through part of the canyon and, once it veered off to cut its own path through the red rock, continued on along the canyon walls. The giant walls of stone towered above their tiny forms, seeming to have a movement of their own. They came together at times, creating narrow passageways for the cats to move through, and at others opened up into large open spaces where desert moss and small shrubs grew.

The canyon was beginning to turn a brighter red as the sun slowly began to come up and, by the time the patrol reached the Training Cliff, it was making its way up the sky. It would most likely be sunhigh when the patrol returned to the camp.

For a moment, the patrol paused at the cliff. Starlingpaw made sure to stay well away from the edge, fearing the drop, but admired the view all the same. This was the edge of their world, where the canyon walls dropped away and continued on down below, creating another canyon and going on as far as her eyes could see. The stream moved along with the canyon, growing larger and becoming a river that the sun shone off of and glittered in the black apprentice's eyes. From this vantage point, she could see the back of an eagle as it soared over the red rock landscape. She let out a call, sharp and pointed like that of an eagle's and it circled around, searching for the source.

Redblaze laughed at this. "Perhaps they should have named you Eaglepaw instead of Starlingpaw. You seem to imitate eagles pretty well." Starlingpaw bowed her head, imitating the sounds of a starling instead. While she had been named for her pelt colour, it was true that calls were easier to imitate.

"Alright, enough with the bird imitations," Frostfur said, rolling her eyes. "Let's get this patrol over with."

"Let's spread out," the red deputy suggested, directing the patrol members in various directions. The Training Cliff was a large area that was, as the name suggested, used for training. Though at first the Clan had been nervous about using it because of the drop, they were now slowly accepting it. The mentors usually stood near the cliff to keep the apprentices from rolling too close and, besides that, the idea that the drop off was nearby provided an adrenaline similar to that when battling in reality.

Starlingpaw was set to patrol the least dangerous side of the cliff, much to her displeasure. Off to the side of the training ground was a sort of cavern, where the walls twisted and turned and opened up into pockets of space that had to be squeezed through in order to get to the other side. The Clan called it The Maze because of this and the apprentices used it for battle training in confined spaces, something that Starlingpaw had just begun. Being small, she could fit through the small pockets easily; her mentor, being so large, would scale the wall closeby and watch her progress from above.

The black apprentice leaped up into the nearest opening in the wall and instantly felt the coolness of the rock around her. It was nice to be in the shade, having a pelt as dark as her own. The change of temperature also served to cool the burning of her cracked pads. She continued through the tunnel on light paws and out onto a sunny ledge, scenting the air. The chance of finding intruders in here was very low; snakes and lizards were much more common, but they either did not pose a threat or were relatively easy to dispose of.

Crawling through yet another tunnel, Starlingpaw emerged into a small cave within the walls. There were three tunnels leading off of it - the one she had emerged from and two before her, one of which led in the direction of the cliff and the other which continued straight on through. Unsure of which road to take, the apprentice scented the air.

A pungent scent reached her and she wrinkled her nose. It reminded her of crowfood. Curious, but a little bit anxious, she took the tunnel that led closer to the cliff face. The further she walked, the more pervasive the smell became, until she thought that the rock itself had taken on the odor.

Then, the scent was joined by a sound. It was so faint that Starlingpaw had to strain to hear it. Luckily, while her sister had been blessed with the gift of scent, Starlingpaw was gifted in hearing and located the source of the sound easily enough. She picked up her pace, wanting to get this encounter, whatever it was, over with.

The tunnel opened up onto a ledge that was exposed to the sunlight and, all of a sudden, Starlingpaw wished that she had not been in a rush to get here. The scent of rot was overwhelming and it soon became apparent why.

There, not too far from the edge, lay a kit. Or, what used to be one. One look at it and Starlingpaw turned away, heaving up her breakfast. The lizard did not taste very good on the way up but, then again, it had not tasted amazing on the way down either. It took all of the apprentice's courage to turn back around and search for the source of the sound.

The mewling was faint and, from what Starlingpaw had already deduced, belonged to another kit. There was a feeling of dread beneath her fur, but she continued to search. When she finally located the kit, where it was lying in the only patch of shade on the ledge, she stopped short. Suddenly, she was not sure whether the dead or the live kit was the worse sight to behold.

It looked at her with eyes that were half-closed, its little chest hardly moving as it struggled to breathe. Its fur was orange, though Starlingpaw could not be sure because of the amount of blood caked onto it. The gash in the kit's side was large and reeked of infection.

_This is the last thing we need after Sparrowstar's death_, Starlingpaw thought.

Yet, almost without hesitation, she turned to the open air and let out an eagle's call, hoping that the slight wind that had picked up would carry it to the rest of the patrol. Then, she approached the kit, murmuring softly that everything would be alright, and wrapped herself around it to provide its little body with some warmth while they waited.

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><p><strong>AN: Got an update in before Christmas! Next one will, hopefully, be before New Years. I hope you're enjoying the story so far; if you're not, please leave a review telling me what I can do better (though you can leave a review, regardless ;) ).**

**Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!**

**- Spirit**


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 ❖ Kestrelkit**

"Kestrelkit, stop squirming!" The sound of the exasperated queen's voice filled the den as her kit continued to move about while her mother attempted to clean her. The she-kit was covered in red dust from having played outside in the rocks earlier and had already received a stern talking to about the amount of dirt she had trekked in to the nursery.

Making a face, Kestrelkit made an effort to sit still, but was soon distracted from the soothing strokes of Dapplefur's tongue by the sound of Beetlewatcher's voice. It's measured and calm tone was so different from the one she was used to. With a pang, she remembered the events of the previous night: her mother's cries, the feel of Sparrowstar's fur against her nose and the smell of fear that had hung over the entire camp. Then, she remembered the days leading up to last night's tragedy and the pang spread through her and left her filled with fear.

Eager to get rid of it, the kit dodged her mother's tongue once more and hurried towards the entrance to the nursery, following the heat of the sun as it filtered in through the cave opening. Movement always helped her to clear her head. Behind her, she could hear the padding of little paws as Skykit and Brightkit followed her out, their mother, Ripplestream, murmuring in the background.

"I would like Asterpaw to join me on my trip, as well as Otterheart or Pebblepaw and two warriors," Beetlewatcher was saying. "Perhaps Martenfur and Gentlefern?" Kestrelkit listened with interest, glad to have something to keep her mind off of the fear. She wondered what it would be like to be selected for patrols once she was an apprentice. Already being six moons old, her apprentice ceremony would take place any day now. At least, she hoped it would.

"We'll go with you!" cried Skykit and Brightkit in their usual energetic voices and Kestrelkit felt them rush past her to get to Beetlewatcher. She stifled a laugh as the former deputy jumped back as he was attacked by kits.

Gentlefern brushed them off lightly. "Now, now, you'll have your chance one day. For now, it's your duty to chase down all of the tumbleweeds that dare to enter our camp boundaries." Her tail swished over the ground as she flicked the kits playfully on the ears. The motherly cat was always kind to the young ones.

Kestrelkit remained off to the side, listening to the proceedings. She was so busy thinking up scenarios where she herself would be included that she did not notice a cat approaching her. The tom settled down beside her, nearly making her jump out of her fur when his own brushed against it.

"Pebblepaw!" she exclaimed, his familiar scent entering her nose. He always smelled of mint and juniper, both sharp and sweet at the same time.

"Good morning, Kestrelkit," he replied. "I brought you something." The smell of a mouse wafted up towards the she-cat and her mouth began to water. Taking a small bite, she pushed the prey back towards him in an effort to share it.

When Pebblepaw had taken his first mouthful, she asked, "How are you feeling?" Underneath the smell he always carried, Kestrelkit had also sensed something else - a fatigue or resignation of some sort.

The medicine cat apprentice paused before replying. "I've been better. But then, I think everyone has. I just wish that I was going to Moon Cliffs with Beetlewatcher tonight. Otterheart insisted on going, though StarClan knows why." Kestrelkit nodded in understanding. Pebblepaw had let slip about his mentor's wavering belief in StarClan about a moon ago when she had come to him for explanations regarding a dream she had had. While she did not dispute that Otterheart was a fair medicine cat and carried out her duty to the Clan, the disconnection between her and StarClan made the kit uncomfortable.

"How are you?" Pebblepaw asked, pushing the mouse back towards her. His tone was friendly and polite, so much different than what she was used to hearing from others.

Taking a bite, she remembered her earlier feeling of fear. "I'm scared."

There was a silence between the two. It was not awkward or uncomfortable, but a rather light one filled with an understanding that could not be expressed with words. Admitting this, Kestrelkit already felt better, but there was another thing that weighed down her mind. This, however, she would not have been able to share with anyone, not even Pebblepaw.

There was a shuffling in camp as the patrol began to move off and the tom beside her rose to his feet to say goodbye to his mentor. Kestrelkit waited, enjoying the feel of the sun on her dark fur while she could. Once her mother caught her out in the sunlight, she would most likely wisk her away back into the nursery to keep her from getting heatstroke.

"When do you think I'll be apprenticed?" Kestrelkit asked when Pebblepaw returned. She sat up straight so that she was at her full size. Not large, but big enough to be an apprentice, she assumed.

"I don't know," Pebblepaw responded. "Soon, I would think. It's up to Beetlewatcher." She could hear the hesitation in his voice and felt slightly deflated.

"With Sparrowstar I knew it would happen at one point or another," the she-cat admitted. "But now... I'm not sure if I'll ever be accepted the way I am." She turned her light amber eyes in her friend's direction, hoping for words of comfort.

He sighed in response. "I accept you, for what that's worth." Kestrelkit nodded in thanks, grateful that Pebblepaw was on her side.

"I'm scared that things won't be the same again," he continued. "I know they can't be, with what has happened, but I'm worried that they will only continue to spiral. It's why I wanted to share tongues with StarClan tonight."

The she-cat was about to respond when she heard the heavy thudding of running paws against the hard rock of the canyon. Her paws felt the vibrations of the ground as a group of cats raced past her, bringing with them the smell of rot and blood. Beside her, Pebblepaw recoiled from the scent and she moved closer, pressing her fur against his.

"Where's Beetlewatcher?" Redblaze's voice rang out clear and strong across the camp.

"He left with a patrol not too long ago, he won't be back until after his leader ceremony," replied Beartooth in his low voice. Kestrelkit heard the new deputy swear at this.

Both of the queens suddenly emerged from the nursery, having smelled the blood and faint kit-scent that Kestrelkit had just picked up on herself. It was so masked by the sour scent of infection that it had not been apparent at first.

"By StarClan, who would do this to a kit?!" cried Ripplestream. Dapplefur let out a shocked cry and Kestrelkit soon began to see why.

Out of the shadows and unfamiliar shapes that usually made up Kestrelkit's vision, a small patch of light emerged. At first, it was too small to see clearly, but it began to grow until it took on the shape of a kit. She gasped and closed her eyes tight, wishing for the first time ever that she could remain completely blind. That same feeling of dread that she had experienced yesterday was already beginning to creep up inside of her.

The kit mewled and Kestrelkit swallowed, plucking up the courage to open her eyes. For a moment, her vision was obscured by the shadowy form of Pebblepaw as he walked past her to approach the bloodied kit, but then she could see the little ginger she-cat once more. She wanted to call out to the gathered cats, to tell them that it was too late. The kit was so bright in Kestrelkit's vision that she was practically dead already.

Just as Sparrowstar had been at only sunhigh yesterday.

Yet, Kestrelkit held her tongue. Many members of the Clan already thought she was a freak. Being blind was a burden, they did not need to know about this too. Her curse would have to remain a secret, or otherwise turn the Clan against her.

She watched, as she rarely did, as Ripplestream picked up the kit and began to carry her up the cliff path to the medicine den. Pebblepaw trailed behind her, no doubt muttering remedies under his breath. The kit shone like a star the whole way up, the light only snuffed out once it was safely tucked away in the medicine den.

Then, Kestrelkit's world was black once more, leaving her wondering when she would be able to see again - and whether she even wanted to.

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><p><strong>AN: Now that we've met all six POV characters, I'd love to ask: which one's your favourite/least favourite? Which power would you yourself like to have, given the choice? Leave a review and let me know!**

**Happy New Year everyone (even though it's still a day and a half away, where I am)!**

**- Spirit**


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 ❖ Martenfur**

The bitter taste of the traveling herbs Otterheart had made the patrol swallow was still fresh in Martenfur's mouth, despite him having drank down what felt like a moon's worth of rain from the stream that ran behind the Fallen Tree. All of that liquid was making him feel heavy and terribly bloated. There was, however, an upside to the amount of water he had drank, and it was that it was helping to keep him cool in the heat of the midday sun. The warrior's longer fur was already sticky with sweat and it would only get worse the longer they travelled.

Up ahead, Beetlewatcher was conversing with Otterheart and Gentlefern, which left Martenfur in the rear with Asterpaw. He gave her a sideways glance and watched her constantly shifting face with curiosity. One moment, there was a look of adventure there, replaced by hesitation a second later and, right after, something like suspicion. Throughout all of this, the only constant was her nose, which twitched uncontrollably. The warrior stared in fascination, thinking the movement of the little pink bud was quite adorable.

"I know you're watching me." Martenfur's thoughts were interrupted by the she-cat's voice, catching him quite off-guard. Yet, the tom, being the confident warrior he was, recovered quickly.

"My apologies, I was only admiring your physique." He winked at her and saw her roll her eyes at him in dismissal, but could feel the heat coming from under her light fur.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you," the warrior quickly added, not wanting to make the apprentice feel awkward with his advances. "It was only a small compliment."

"I'm not embarrassed," Asterpaw replied cheerfully. "I've just never really been complimented before." At this, Martenfur gave her a shocked look.

"A pretty thing like you? Surely you have all of the male apprentices all over you!" While he was genuinely surprised that the she-cat did not regularly receive compliments, he played it up for the sake of theatrics. At the head of the patrol, Gentlefern looked back at him to give him a scolding look.

Asterpaw laughed softly. "Well, one of those apprentices is my brother, which is hardly appropriate. The other two are Whitepaw and Littlepaw; one is very much like his father, the other immature. I don't really have anyone to receive compliments from." She shrugged, seemingly unbothered by this fact.

The warrior snorted. "Don't let those two get to you. They may be the sons of Palethorn, but I'm sure they're half the apprentices you are." This time, Martenfur was sure that the she-cat blushed. He, however, had not intended for the comment to do so. In fact, he had made it more out of spite for the older warrior, who he believed was arrogant and loyal only to himself rather than the Clan.

The comment caught the attention of Gentlefern, who happened to be Palethorn's sister. If not for their physical similarities, however, Martenfur might have never figured out the two were kin. While both the she-cat and the gruff warrior were pale in colour and sported light-coloured eyes, their personalities were about as different as they could get. Palethorn was known for being strict with apprentices, harsh with his words and just generally disagreeable. Gentlefern, on the other hand, was always looking for a compromise, was patient with kits and had a sort of mother-figure role in the Clan.

"I'd like to remind you that kits do not always turn out like their parents," Gentlefern mewed, glaring at Martenfur with piercing green eyes. The red-brown tabby bowed his head to his mother. Beside him, Asterpaw watched on curiously.

"Perhaps it would sometimes be best for kits to turn out like their mothers," Otterheart pitched in, glancing over at Gentlefern. The medicine cat, along with their new leader, were kits from the she-cat's first litter. It was a fact Martenfur rarely remembered, as the Clan itself was a sort of family. Many cats did not think much of their actual blood relations beyond those with their littermates.

"The duty of raising kits is not left solely up to the mother," Beetlewatcher said in his usual calm tone. "It is the duty of the Clan." The words were said with such finality, as if the tom were quoting the warrior code. Upon reflection, Martenfur realized he was. It felt like such a long time ago that he was taught the warrior code - it was starting to blur around the edges.

Gentlefern purred, turning to the only member of the patrol that was not directly related to any of them - Asterpaw. Her green eyes sparkled with a sort of motherly love that Martenfur had rarely seen directed at him. Reminding himself that the Clan was a family, he quelled the jealousy that had begun to rise within him and kept his amber eyes locked on a point far ahead for the remainder of the journey to Moon Cliffs.

* * *

><p>Night fell not long after the patrol had passed Big Rock, stopping to hunt before continuing on. Much to Martenfur's disappointment, Asterpaw had caught most of the prey for their group, leaving the young warrior to be teased good-naturedly by Gentlefern. He attempted to ignore it, though he felt wounded pride welling up under his fur at the thought of having been beaten by an apprentice. He consoled himself by remembering that he was more of a fighter, not a hunter.<p>

The little she-cat who had outdone him seemed apologetic, bringing him the mouse she had caught. He had found one himself, but it had been scared away by the scraping of a lizard's claws on the rocks before he could so much as prepare to pounce. His own catch had consisted of two lizards that had been soaking up what remained of the sun's warmth on the rock. Martenfur had refused her offering at first, but upon seeing that Asterpaw would not relent, finally offered to share it with her. This, it seemed, was a fair compromise.

The last leg of the journey to Moon Cliffs was walked in companionable silence, the padding of soft paws filling the air around them. Before long, the moon would be up at it's highest point in the heavens and Beetlewatcher would receive his nine lives. The idea of having someone other than Sparrowstar as leader was slightly disconcerting to Martenfur, as the tortoiseshell had been the only leader he had ever known. Stories of Falconstar and Hazelstar had been told to him as a kit, but the tom hardly remembered those. The warrior liked experiencing things for himself, rather than hearing about the greatness that had been before his time.

Looking at Beetlewatcher now, the red-brown tabby wondered if the tom would make a good leader. He was quite young, not yet having lived three full season-cycles, but the way he moved suggested that he was older. There was a sort of hidden grace in the black tom's movements, a strength that rippled underneath the midnight fur. Martenfur remembered the way Beetlewatcher's eyes had reflected calm during the announcement of Sparrowstar's death the previous night, and decided that perhaps that, if nothing else, would make the tom a great leader. If the Clan had a leader like Beetlewatcher, they would remain calm and collected during times of trial; and StarClan knew what sorts of trials awaited them.

Then again, who was Martenfur to judge?

The tom's musings were cut short by their arrival at the entrance to Moon Cliffs. Beetlewatcher dipped his head into the cavern first, squeezing past the walls that curved in on either side. The passage was so small that only Asterpaw got through without difficulty. Martenfur had to force his broad shoulders past the hard red rock.

The passage continued, a thin line of floor between towering walls on either side. It was dark here, but at the very end of the passage was a steady light. The tom kept his eyes on it, expecting it to flicker as the patrol made its way down the narrow walkway. He was so focused on it that he did not notice when the cats in front of him stopped moving and, as a result, nearly managed to step on Asterpaw's tail.

"Careful," she breathed, whisking her tail away from underfoot and flicking him across the nose with it. Even in the dark, Martenfur could make out the black tip of her otherwise light tail.

Just when Martenfur felt that he would not be able to squeeze through the small passage any longer, it suddenly opened up into what could only be described as an enormous cave. Tilting his head back, he stared up in awe at the giant walls around him, rising up as far as the cliff face did back at camp. There were niches in the rock, undulations where it moved further back into itself and cavities where it had crumbled away over the ages.

And there, at the very top, was a hole in the rock ceiling. From here, it did not even seem big enough for a cat to fit through it, but the amount of light it provided pointed towards the fact that it must have been quite large. For a moment, Martenfur wondered if he could scale the walls to get a closer look at it, but quickly dismissed it.

_You're not a squirrel_, he growled at himself. _And you're not a very good climber, regardless._

Asterpaw seemed to have the same idea. She bunched her legs beneath her and sprang at one of the niches, landing squarely on the natural ledge. From there, she raised her head to look up at the light in wonder.

"Keep watch for me," Beetlewatcher said quietly. The two young cats nodded, continuing to stare at the moonlight as it danced into the cave and cast its steady light onto the walls.

Asterpaw shivered. "It's almost as if our warrior ancestors are here." She spoke softly, but her voice echoed quietly off of the walls before dissolving into nothingness. The tom listened, settling down beside her little ledge.

"Maybe your blood kin is somewhere up there," Martenfur replied without thinking. Though he sensed a sudden wave of hurt and sadness fill Asterpaw, the she-cat did not flinch away.

"They may not have been from RockClan, but I've always felt like they must have been good cats," she said. "Leaving me, Pebblepaw and Starlingpaw to be found by RockClan may not have been what anyone wanted, but I think they did it for good reason."

They were silent, eyes now trained on the sleeping forms of Otterheart and Beetlewatcher. The tabby she-cat was still, only murmuring the occasional 'StarClan' in her sleep. Their new leader, however, twitched continuously, rolling this way and that as he dreamed. Martenfur wondered what the tom was seeing and if he was being visited by their ancestors. Would he see Shortwhisker, the medicine cat who had been killed by a cougar while attending to his Clan duties? Would he be visited by Jayflight and Greywind, the tom devoured by flames and his loving mate who would not leave him behind? The great Hazelstar who he himself had only heard stories about? And, perhaps most importantly, would Sparrowstar herself come to see him off into his new life as RockClan's leader?

"Do you ever think that some things, even the unexplainable ones, happen for a reason?" Asterpaw's small voice cut through the moonlight filled air, the question heavy in the otherwise light room.

Martenfur pondered this for a while before replying, "I think only StarClan knows that."

The apprentice just nodded in response, accepting the words immediately. Before today, Martenfur had spoken to the apprentice only once, but already he could see the immense faith she carried in both RockClan and their warrior ancestors. It made him hopeful that the Clan would see better days following the tragic event of Sparrowstar's death. If everyone believed that StarClan knew what was best the way Asterpaw did, there would be no need for disloyalty to the Clan. The red-brown warrior pondered this late into the night, long after the pretty apprentice had fallen into a slumber and Beetlewatcher's - now Beetlestar's - movements had come to a stop.

It must have been in the early hours before dawn that his amber eyes caught the movement of a shape along the red walls and his ears heard a soft shimmering sound like that of dew drops bursting. He caught a faint whiff of smells foreign to him, the sweet and dusty scents of pines and falling leaves and bushy undergrowth. And there, on the other side of the cave, the faint flicker of a tortoiseshell pelt as the sound of paws faded away.

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><p><strong>AN: A lot more character development and not so much action in this chapter, but I hope it helped to shed some light on the characters, especially Martenfur and Asterpaw. You need to know your characters before digging into the action, after all ;) Let me know what you think about characters vs. plot, and which one you find more important or would like to see more of!**

**- Spirit**


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 ❖ Pebblepaw**

Leaves swirled around the apprentice's form as he ran, falling back to the ground almost immediately afterwards and for all the world looking as if they had never been disturbed. Faint, grey clouds of mist appeared in front of his nose as he puffed from the effort of his movements, muscles straining beneath his fur. The ground underfoot was unfamiliar, a combination of rustling leaves, soft moss and earth. Unaware of where he was, or where he was headed, Pebblepaw pushed his way through the scraggly undergrowth.

Finally, he stopped at an oak, panting and out of breath. The tree loomed over him, taller than anything he had ever seen before. Its branches twisted and turned towards the heavens, almost bare of foliage in the cool leaf-bare air. The trees surrounding the oak were also bare, apart from a few green ones with branches lower to the ground. These ones - pines, if Pebblepaw remembered correctly - never lost their needles. The apprentice found it strange that trees should lose their covering before leaf-bare. In his mind, it would have made a lot more sense had they retained them, in order to shelter their trunks and branches from the cold.

He scanned the surrounding forest, whiskers twitching as he picked up both familiar and unfamiliar scents. There was the scent of mouse, which made his mouth water, but also the smell of something sweet, a flower of some sort. Pebblepaw approached the flower, wondering if perhaps it could be used for medicinal purposes. It was bell-shaped and purple in colour, a tinge of green on its tiny form. On the same bush grew round, dark berries.

"Nightshade," said a voice from behind him, making him start. Pebblepaw was sure he might have been able to jump as high as the oak stood in his shock. Turning quickly, he came face to face with a tortoiseshell he knew very well.

"Sparrowstar?" he breathed. The former leader's green eyes sparkled mysteriously as she gave him a small smile, nodding her head. The apprentice was suddenly overwhelmed with an emotion that left him with a lump in his throat. Whether the urge to cry had come from sadness or happiness was not something he could say.

"Nightshade," said another voice. "Leaves a cat dead within the hour if ingested." A cat appeared next to Sparrowstar, this one a small, brown-furred tom. His amber eyes glowed from his dark face, fixing the medicine apprentice with a wise stare.

"This is Shortwhisker," Sparrowstar continued, eyes travelling between Pebblepaw and the tom. "I don't think any further introduction is required."

Indeed, it was not. While Otterheart did not mention her mentor often, her own apprentice had heard stories about the old medicine cat from some of the warriors. They said that he had been the one to discover the use of coltsfoot in helping to treat kittencough, saving the lives of many of RockClan's current senior warriors. The words most often associated with Shortwhisker's name in their conversations were 'efficient and dedicated'. Pebblepaw had not been an apprentice long, but he thought of the tom as his idol.

Shortwhisker chuckled at the awe in Pebblepaw's eyes. "Don't believe all the stories you hear about me. I was just a cat who lived to serve his Clan." The young apprentice averted his eyes, somewhat embarrassed.

"I've been watching you, you know," the old medicine cat added. "Your memory when it comes to remedies and your organization when it comes to herbs surpass your young age. Don't let your weaknesses hold you back; you'd make a fine medicine cat someday." Pebblepaw felt a twinge of shame at the mention of his weaknesses and was unable to meet Shortwhisker's eyes again, though they were shining with pride.

He turned to Sparrowstar instead. "Why are we here? What is this place?" His yellow eyes scanned the branches above once again, trying to remember the setting.

"You won't remember this forest," Sparrowstar purred, sitting down on the soft earth and curling her tail over her paws. "This was the original home of RockClan, before the Twolegs came to destroy it. Both Shortwhisker and I were born here and we thought that, perhaps, this was the best place to bring you."

Pebblepaw's eyes widened. "Why would you need to bring me somewhere? I haven't left my nest in the medicine den, have I?"

"This is just a dream," Shortwhisker assured him. "We needed to speak with you."

"Why me?" the grey tom heard himself ask. "Otterheart is at Moon Cliffs tonight. Why not tell her?" He knew the question's answer, but asked it all the same.

Sparrowstar sighed. "Otterheart's faith in StarClan wavers, though it is slightly stronger now that I no longer run with RockClan. We - Shortwhisker and I - thought that a message of this caliber might be better suited for your ears."

Pebblepaw's eyes could not have grown any larger. "But I'm just an apprentice."

"Just an apprentice, he says," Shortwhisker snorted. "From apprentices come great leaders, you know."

Sparrowstar nodded in agreement. "And, as a former leader, I want my apprentices to remain strong and one day lead the Clan. I worry that they may not get the chance." She paused, during which time the grey apprentice she was speaking to made sure to focus on her and only her. He felt as if her form was beginning to fade away from before his eyes.

"RockClan has been searching for a new home for quite some time and, even now, they are not safe. Yet, there is a way to secure the Clan's future, and it lies within this prophecy."

The tortoiseshell stood, taking a step towards Pebblepaw. Her green eyes were focussed on him, yet they had a far away look, as if she were seeing past his form.

_"Clouds are swirling, a storm is near,_

_Sightless eyes watch the sun disappear._

_Ash and smoke and water rise,_

_The air is suddenly filled with flies._

_A fire rages, the heat unfelt,_

_The earth begins to shake and melt._

_A cat approaches - friend or foe?_

_It is up to you to know._

_A little rock wakes in strange dreams,_

_A small rodent is not what it seems._

_A flower with a nose so keen,_

_An ember knows what you truly mean._

_Two birds that will confuse all,_

_One with sight, the other with a call._

_They are what you need to find,_

_If you wish for survival for your kind._

_The time is near, do not wait,_

_Or you will leave it up to fate._

_An enemy lurks, unseen, unheard,_

_It's intentions remain undeterred._

_It comes from the outside, it might have appeared,_

_Yet, the one on the inside is to be most feared._

_A battle that washes the canyon blood red,_

_Perhaps it was easier to move on instead?"_

The scene before Pebblepaw's eyes began to shift, the brown trunk of the trees swirling before his eyes and becoming water. It flowed underneath his paws, glittering playfully as it washed him away. He found himself on an island not long after, the makeshift stream having carried him there. It was lined with cattails, their fuzzy brown heads swaying lightly in the breeze.

Then, those too disappeared, and became long stalks of grass that stretched on for as far as the apprentice could see. In the distance was a plume of smoke that grew larger and larger until the grass became red and crackled with murderous intent. Coughing and shrinking back from the heat of the flames, Pebblepaw leapt to his paws, turning away from the all-consuming fire.

Before him was a cave, dark and gloomy, the gray rock of it crumbling underneath the paws of a giant cat. It pulled its ears back at the sight of him and bared its yellow teeth, eyes narrowing as it leaped. When Pebblepaw looked once more, the gray of the cave had become the familiar red rock of the canyon.

Except there was something very different about it. Instead of the solid red rock the apprentice was used to, the canyon seemed to be moving, slowly melting down into a puddle of red. There was a sick feeling in his stomach and, when the metallic taste suddenly filled his mouth, Pebblepaw knew that his home was dissolving into blood.

Sparrowstar was gone and there was nowhere to run. The rock beneath his paws was shifting, swallowing his paws up. He retched uncontrollably, fighting against the force that threatened to submerge him. There was no way out and, even if there had been, the apprentice was too paralyzed with fear to think clearly.

"Sparrowstar!" he cried. A sob wracked his chest as the blood continued to suck at him, pulling him in further and further.

"I'm here." The scene ended abruptly and Pebblepaw was in his den once more. The former leader was standing before him, stars shimmering in place of her tortoiseshell pelt.

"I don't understand," Pebblepaw said, shaking. "You should have given this prophecy to Beetlewatcher. Shouldn't you be with him right now, giving him his nine lives?"

"Beetlestar is ready to lead his Clan," was her response. "The question is, are you ready to serve as its medicine cat?" The stars twinkled once before disappearing and, with one last flash of her green eyes, Sparrowstar was gone. This left Pebblepaw to stare out the entrance to his den, where the sky was dark and heavy with clouds, seeming to float just above the canyon walls.

"Clouds are swirling, a storm is near," Pebblepaw said quietly, feeling the weight of the words on his tongue. As if in response, the sky rumbled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A little bit of a shorter chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same! The prophecy is not structured how most Warriors prophecies are (which I'm sure most of you noticed). Is it a good kind of different or a bad one? Do I need to work on my prophecy/poetry writing skills? :P On another note, is it enticing and makes you want to know what it means? Any and all answers to these questions are much appreciated!**

**- Spirit**


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 ❖ Emberpaw**

"Littlepaw, duck!"

Emberpaw hissed in frustration as the white apprentice rolled out from underneath her claws. Instead of hitting her target, the she-cat sailed over her training partner's form, landing heavily on the rocks beyond. In front of her was Beartooth, who had taken over her training for the day.

"It was a good pounce," the old tabby warrior said. "The only thing I would do is keep lower to the ground. Then, if your target decides to move, you still have a chance of skimming it with your claws."

"Or you don't end up hitting the ground so hard afterwards," said Mapleblossom's cheerful voice from behind Emberpaw.

The tortoiseshell rounded on Littlepaw's mentor. "Well, I wouldn't have had to hit the ground at all had _someone_ not tipped Littlepaw off." The warrior at least had the decency to look somewhat guilty, but shrugged it off with a, '_you would have shredded him to bits otherwise,_" and called another practice round of battle.

Grumpily, Emberpaw crouched down, ready to spring at her brother once more. While battle training was the apprentice duty she looked forward to most, even that did not justify the fact that she had been dragged out of her nest before the sun had even come up. As if to make matters worse, the camp had woken up to rain, which stained the red rocks with darker splotches and created a chill in the air that got under her fur. They had only gotten through two practice rounds so far and the apprentice was already soaked, her heavy fur slowing her down.

Littlepaw, on the other hand, had much shorter fur, like that of their father's, which meant that he could continue moving as he normally did during training. Emberpaw had caught him shivering earlier, though she could not have been sure whether it was because of the cold or because the tom was cowardly when it came to teeth and claws.

A flash of white passed on her left side, missing her by a fox-length. The she-cat snorted at the Littlepaw's lack of aim and got to her paws, swinging around to face her opponent. He had a look of determination on his face and Emberpaw watched it dissolve as she bunched her legs beneath her and sprang, tackling him to the ground.

The tortoiseshell had taken Beartooth's advice and kept lower to the ground, leaving Littlepaw less time to move. The white tom attempted to dodge her but, for once, was not quick enough. Emberpaw used her water-logged fur to her advantage, bringing down her full weight upon the other apprentice. He squirmed beneath her as she bared her fangs at him, claws digging in slightly beneath the fur on his small shoulders. The tortoiseshell could feel his terror.

_Don't hurt me_, she could hear him thinking. _You're my sister, you wouldn't hurt me. Family doesn't hurt each other._ The area behind Emberpaw's ear throbbed, reminding her of the scar Palethorn had left her with after her first training assessment.

The she-cat growled. "Just wait until you battle Palethorn." She snapped her jaws closed, the sound her fangs made as they clicked against each other making the tom beneath her wince.

"I think that's enough for one day," Mapleblossom called, hurrying over to check on her apprentice. Littlepaw was shaking uncontrollably, staring at Emberpaw with large green eyes. She turned away, wondering why she was the hated child when Littlepaw was too cowardly to so much as fight back. Had Palethorn ever trained with him, perhaps he would know that she was not the weak kit.

"Let's head back," Beartooth growled. "This rain is making my bones ache."

Emberpaw fell into step with the large tabby as they travelled back to the camp, admiring the strength the senior warrior still held. Even though he was the oldest warrior in the Clan, he was still able to best the other warriors in just about anything battle-related. Despite his skills in battle, the tom did not boast of them and only showcased his talents when asked by one of the mentors to attend a training session.

"You're a promising fighter, you know," Beartooth said after a while. Mapleblossom and Littlepaw were walking a little bit further behind, the mottled she-cat urging her apprentice to try his luck at hunting in the rain. Emberpaw blocked out Littlepaw's thoughts of self-doubt before the urge to snap at him grew any larger.

"Thank you," she replied to the tabby's praise. She knew very well that battle was her calling; while hunting techniques were hard to wrap her head around, skills used in battle seemed to come naturally to her. Even as a kit, she had always been the one to win every playfight.

"I've never seen an apprentice adapt their technique as quickly as you did after I gave you my suggestion," he continued. "Keep it up and you'll be the finest warrior in the Clan."

"Better than you?" she shot back.

"Only when I've gone to join StarClan," Beartooth replied, pouncing onto her without warning. Instincts kicking in, Emberpaw swerved to avoid his claws, flattening herself against the ground and scurrying underneath the larger cat to avoid getting crushed by his weight. She herself may have been big for a she-cat of her age, but the warrior was about three times her size.

The tabby landed lightly where Emberpaw had been only seconds before. His amber eyes were alight with mischief. "You're quick, as well as strong; a good mix of your mother and father. Perhaps you will best me before StarClan calls me to join its ranks." The apprentice could feel herself swelling with pride, though she felt a pang in her chest at the mention of her parents.

Beartooth went off to find Runningheart as soon as they got back to camp, eager to give the ginger tabby a report on Emberpaw's progress in today's training. Though it was an honour to train under the old warrior's watchful eye, Emberpaw wondered why Runningheart had not come to train her himself today. She understood that the events of the previous day had been quite traumatic for her mentor, but surely it did not mean that he would lie in his nest all day?

Emberpaw's stomach growled, reminding her of the fact she had not eaten anything before the training session. She debated making her way over to the fresh-kill pile, as both dawn patrols had returned recently and were swarming about it. Sighing, the she-cat waited, refusing to worm her way through their midst. The idea of having to block out all of those thoughts made her lose some of her appetite.

No sooner had she made this decision than she began to regret it. A white tom was stalking up to her, another similar one trailing behind him.

"I heard you beat Littlepaw up," Whitepaw growled, narrowing his eyes at her.

Emberpaw held his gaze steadily with her matching one. "And I'll make sure to do the same to you whenever we train together again." Frostfur and Runningheart, seeing that their apprentices were quite rough with each other during training sessions, had decided to separate them for a while. Apprentices that had clawed each other to the bone would not be much use to the Clan when it came to other duties and would take up valuable space in the medicine den.

Her brother's left ear flicked back, a cue Emberpaw had picked up on. Before he could pounce, her paw had flashed out, claws just catching the ends of his long whiskers. Startled, the tom jumped back.

"You missed." The look on his face was smug, but the she-cat could hear his racing heartbeat from where she was sitting.

"I wish I hadn't," she replied, curling her lip back. Though her intention had not been to actually claw him, as that would have gotten her in trouble, she was now weighing the consequences against the satisfaction she would get out of it.

Emberpaw remained still as Whitepaw approached her once more, not even flinching as his paw shot out and caught her on the ear. His claws had not been out, but his hard pad left a sting in the tender flesh.

_What a piece of crowfood_, she heard the white tom think before he turned and disappeared, Littlepaw in tow. While his action had been a petty show of dominance, the words hurt more than anything Whitepaw could have done to her.

Having lost her appetite completely, Emberpaw made her way to the apprentice den, where Asterpaw was curled up in her nest. The she-cat had been with Beetlestar at Moon Cliffs to guard him while he received his nine lives and Emberpaw couldn't help but feel jealous. The pretty she-cat did not have a single bit of Clan blood in her, yet she was the leader's apprentice and had gotten to see the place where StarClan shared tongues with the living. Not only that, but she was the star hunter among the apprentices, fairly good at fighting and had a strong bond with her littermates.

Everyone in the Clan loved her. It made Emberpaw wonder what it was like to be perfect.

The tortoiseshell curled up in her nest, hardly feeling the warmth of the desert moss through her chilled fur. She felt terribly cold, not just on the outside but on the inside too. The pride she had felt at Beartooth's praise was completely gone, replaced by an emptiness Emberpaw was still not used to. It had first appeared when Lichencloud, her mother, had died two moons after Emberpaw's birth. Ever since then, all she could remember were the scathing looks from her brothers and the cool yellow gaze of her father.

Pushing her thoughts aside, Emberpaw curled herself tighter, squeezing her eyes shut. Sleep was the only way she could get away from this emptiness.

But sleep was a flighty thing, especially for someone like her. Getting rid of the thoughts in her own head was hard enough; getting rid of the thoughts of others was even harder. She had very limited control over them, only enough to keep them at bay. Sometimes, more prominent thoughts would flit through her head, loud enough for her to hear full sentences or certain words. The rest of the time, there was a constant buzzing, as if there were bees trapped in her skull.

Tired of pushing everything back, Emberpaw let her walls down, the outside thoughts flooding in. She only heard parts, one thought cut off by another. Sometimes, it was hard to tell whether the voices in her head were thinking these thoughts or saying them aloud. The voice of each Clan member was the same, whether they were speaking to her directly or she was picking up on their thinking.

_This rain isn't so bad,_ came Ripplestream's high voice. _The kits can have some fun playing in it and the stream will grow larger. Perhaps this isn't such a bad place after all._

_This rain better not last long,_ thought Leafpelt. _The prey will disappear._

_Patrols need to be organized..._ Redblaze was cut off by another's thoughts.

_Now, to convince Beetlestar to -_

Emberpaw growled as the voice of Palethorn filled her head and the walls came back up again. The fact that she had heard his thoughts at all was surprising, as he normally kept a tight reign on whatever was going on inside his head. After the initial shock had passed, the apprentice found herself cursing the fact that she had not listened on.

Deciding to try again, she let the walls down once more, attempting to filter through the many thoughts of her Clanmates in order to reach the pale warrior once more. After what felt like moons of searching she found nothing, only other remarks about the weather and complaints from patrols as they returned to camp.

Yet, amongst all of the boring, everyday ongoings, Emberpaw found one voice. It was repeating the same lines over and over, as if memorizing them. They had a certain rhythm, every two lines rhyming. Emberpaw listened as the medicine apprentice struggled to remember - _amber? or ember?_ - and found the rhythm of whatever he was repeating lulling her to sleep.

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><p><strong>AN: A quick look into Emberpaw's thoughts - what did you think? Is her 'power' believable (as far a powers go, that is)? I'd love to hear some thoughts on Emberpaw's character and the relaionships she has with her Clanmates :)**


	12. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 ❖ Asterpaw**

She was woken by the prodding of a very persistent paw, which caused her to groan as she blinked her eyes open. The little light there was in the den was dim, broken only by the glow of two amber orbs. A warmth entered them when the tom noticed that she had stirred.

"Redblaze wants you on a patrol," he said simply, pausing to see her reaction. Asterpaw nodded, opening her jaws wide in a yawn. It was not every day one went to Moon Cliffs to escort their deputy to his leadership ceremony. Stretching, she shook some of the desert moss out of her fur and followed Leafpelt out of the apprentice den.

The sky was dark, filled with gray clouds that hung low over the canyon walls. Asterpaw wondered how long she had slept for and silently berated herself for overlooking her apprentice duties for the day. Though her mind was still fuzzy with the remnants of sleep, she was glad that Leafpelt had come to fetch her. She was even happier to learn that she had been put on hunting patrol, one of her favourite apprentice duties.

"Wake up, sleepy head," Morningbreeze laughed, flicking her silver tail over the apprentice's nose. "You're not going to catch any mice with your head in the clouds." The soft fur tickled and Asterpaw sneezed, causing Leafpelt to purr in amusement.

"Morningbreeze, try the cliff side above the camp," Redblaze said, giving directions to each patrol. "Avoid the Carrion Place and stick to the plains." The warrior she-cat gave a brief nod before swishing her tail in the direction of the cliff path and setting off at a brisk pace. Asterpaw followed, Leafpelt bringing up the rear.

The silver she-cat was fast, and Asterpaw found herself scrambling to keep up with her. Her paws thumped against the hard rock of the path as they travelled up it, past the medicine den where Asterpaw saw a brief flash of her brother's worried eyes, and up to the edge of the cliff face that made up their home. The air up here was colder, a light breeze rustling their fur. The apprentice breathed in the scents it brought with it, careful not to get too carried away. Beetlestar was not here to help her this time, should she have another vision.

The rocks underfoot slowly turned to grass, coarse and yellow and easily broken under their paws. There was a soft rustling here and there, though Asterpaw could not determine whether it was prey or simply the wind playing tricks. The patrol stopped where the grass was tall, the copse of trees near Carrion Place just visible over the tops of the blades.

"We will split up here," Morningbreeze announced. "I want you two to stick together. We will meet back at the edge of the cliff when it begins to grow dark." Asterpaw began to open her mouth in protest, about to assure the she-cat that she could handle hunting on her own, when she noticed the look in the warrior's green eyes. Being Beetlestar's mate, he must have told her about the apprentice's episode the previous day. Should it happen again, Asterpaw realized that having Leafpelt with her would be much safer than hunting alone.

Both she and the young warrior nodded, watching as Morningbreeze slipped off into the tall grass, striped tabby pelt blending in with the stalks around her.

"We'd better get a start on hunting," Leafpelt said, head tilted back to look at the sky. "I don't like the look of those clouds." Asterpaw followed his lead, observing the swirling of the clouds above. Nodding, she took off in the opposite direction that Morningbreeze had taken.

Scenting the air, she caught the faint scents of rabbits and mice, but all were masked by the damp scent of soil. No doubt all of the prey was hiding from the coming storm, leaving the two Clan cats to scrape at the ground in search of their burrows. It was Leafpelt who found a burrow first, having practically stepped into it.

"Where do you think the other side of it is?" he asked, lowering himself to the ground to peer through the grasses. In his moment of distraction, Asterpaw leaned down to scent the rabbit hole and, lifting her head away, almost immediately located the connecting one.

"I think it's this way," she said, padding a couple of foxlengths to the right. Sure enough, there was another opening to the same burrow. Looking up at Leafpelt, the apprentice thought she saw a certain look in his eye - admiration, perhaps? Then, his eyes shifted over her small body and back to the rabbit hole, a thoughtful expression on his face, and she knew he was putting a plan in motion, just as he always was.

"Do you think you could fit in there?" he asked. Asterpaw considered this, sticking a paw into the hole. If she flattened herself, she might be able to make it through. If the tunnel narrowed, however, she would be stuck in the burrow with no way out. As eager as she was to hunt for her Clan and return with mouthfuls of prey, she was not sure how she felt about crawling around burrows.

"Not if the passage narrows," she replied, wondering what the methodical tom's next idea would be.

He nodded. "We can either scare the rabbit out then, by making loud noises, or clog one of the entrances with grass." The tom looked at her expectantly and Asterpaw was struck by the fact that he wanted her input. The other younger warriors, like Badgerclaw and Silverhawk, usually made decisions by themselves when paired with apprentices.

The she-cat considered their options. "Do we want this rabbit quickly or are we willing to wait?"

Before Leafpelt could reply, an ominous rumbling sounded overhead. Somewhere off in the distance was the smell of something burning and Asterpaw wrinkled her nose. Though she was no Starlingpaw, who would have been able to scare the rabbit out of its burrow with one call, she realized that time was of the essence.

"I'll scare, you catch," Leafpelt said, following her train of thought. She nodded, getting into position before the hole in the ground. Her nose was twitching with anticipation, the smell of rabbit filling her senses and making her mouth water.

Hearing Leafpelt's snarls as he attempted to scare the large rodent, Asterpaw unsheathed her claws, ready to make the kill if the rabbit tried to escape. In the distance, another three cracks of thunder filled the sky, but she remained still even though the sound startled her.

Still, nothing. Leafpelt had by this point resorted to ridiculous mews and something akin to the hissing of a snake, but still the rabbit refused to come out of hiding. She knew it was there, the soft scent of it hidden among the more prominent ones of wet earth.

"I think we'll have to start heading back soon," she called. "It's getting dark."

Just then, a brown and white shape rushed past her, eyes staring wildly ahead as it leaped through the tall grasses. With an exasperated growl, Asterpaw took off after it, Leafpelt right behind her. Being larger than her, Leafpelt soon overtook her, tailing the rabbit so closely that he might have been able to snag its tail with a claw.

With one great leap, the tabby jumped over the rabbit's form, landing right before it. Wheeling about, terrified, the rabbit hopped straight into Asterpaw's waiting claws, where it met a swift end. Breathing hard, the two hunters grinned at each other over the dead rabbit.

A sharp crack in the sky, much louder than the previous ones, snapped them out of their triumph. The smell of smoke hit Asterpaw hard and she coughed, feeling as if the very scent were choking her. A streak of red flashed through her mind briefly before she had the chance to shut it out. In that second of a vision, she thought that the red looked like the fur of a very familiar cat.

"We'd better get going," Leafpelt said, picking up their kill. "That storm's coming quick."

Still trying her hardest to block out the vision, Asterpaw nodded, following along behind the young warrior as the smell of smoke and water grew all around them.

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><p>The medicine den was warm when Asterpaw entered it, shivering beneath her drenched fur. No sooner had she and Leafpelt turned in the direction of camp, than the sky had opened up, releasing a torrential rain that had them both soaked to the bone within seconds. Morningbreeze had ordered the apprentice to go to the medicine den as soon as they returned, fearing her sneezes would turn into chills.<p>

In truth, the sneezes had been a result of the overwhelming smells surrounding her in the storm. Here, in the medicine den, they ceased, the scents somewhat blocked by the stone walls of the den.

"Asterpaw?" came the soft call of her brother from the medicine storage. The light tabby padded over to him, where he was sitting in front of a pile of herbs, sorting each one into its proper place. She watched, mesmerized by how methodical he was with his task.

He stopped suddenly, turning his yellow eyes to her. They were filled with worry and she realized that something must be wrong.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting down to wait for his response. Pebblepaw had a hard time coming up with the proper words to describe his worries.

"Sparrowstar came to me in a dream," he whispered, looking about the medicine den to ensure that there was no one else present. Asterpaw's green eyes widened.

"She came with Shortwhisker to give me a prophecy," Pebblepaw continued, causing his sister to gasp. "I remembered it only this morning, but now it's gone again. I've been repeating it over and over, but I just can't seem to memorize it. It'll come and go and, anytime I get close to telling Otterheart about it, it disappears."

Asterpaw gazed at her brother. Her brother, a medicine cat apprentice, who was receiving prophecies from StarClan before even being given his full name. She felt pride at the thought, but consternation as well.

"Maybe StarClan wants you to keep it a secret," she replied quietly. "Do you remember anything from it now?"

Pebblepaw's whiskers twitched and he nodded slowly. "A little bit, I think. It starts with, 'clouds are swirling, a storm is near...'" Asterpaw listened intently as he continued, scrunching up her nose at the puzzles and twists the prophecy presented. It seemed straight forward enough, but she couldn't help but think that there was something more to the words, something that could be the difference between life and death for RockClan.

"Sightless eyes watch the sun disappear," she said when he'd finished. "How can sightless eyes see anything?" Pebblepaw shook his head, letting her know that he had not figured out an answer to the question either.

"That's the first time I've said it aloud to someone else," he said quietly. "Maybe StarClan wants you to know about it too."

Just as Asterpaw was about to reply, a small mewl from the back of the medicine den startled her and she turned, searching out its source. The small grey tom rushed past her to a corner of the den where something was lying on a ball of moss. She realized that it was the kitten Starlingpaw had found.

"She's dying," Pebblepaw said sadly. "There's nothing we can do to draw out the infection. The best thing to do would be to give her deathberries to end her pain, but Otterheart won't let me do it."

Asterpaw nodded, the smell of the kit's infection reaching her even now. Beneath it, there was a familiar scent, but it was masked by the other so much that she could not quite make it out. Somewhere, at the back of her mind, she could feel the scent unleashing an image.

Blocking it out quickly, she turned back to Pebblepaw. "Has she said anything? Have you asked her any questions?" After Starlingpaw brought the kit back to camp, the entire Clan had been on edge, wondering where exactly the ginger she-cat had come from and who would ever leave a kit to die.

Pebblepaw shook his head. "Otterheart tried, but the kit was too weak to even nod or shake her head. There's really nothing we can do." The two siblings gazed at the little kit, watching as she curled up tighter in her moss nest, life slowly leaving her in short, small breaths.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone about the prophecy," Pebblepaw whispered.

"I promise," Asterpaw replied without hesitation, though she questioned the medicine apprentice's motivation for keeping the prophecy to themselves. If there was one thing her visions had taught her, it was that she was very good at keeping secrets.

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><p><strong>AN: Yay, an update! Unfortunately, I'm out of pre-written chapters now, so the next one might be a long time coming, what with midterms coming up. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, especially the teamwork between Asterpaw and Leafpelt and Pebblepaw's growing list of responsibilities :)**

**- Spirit**


	13. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 ❖ Kestrelkit**

The air was cold and wet when Kestrelkit woke the next morning, but there was nothing that would dampen her spirit on this particular day. Even if the late greenleaf storm of the previous night were still raging, she would be just as bright-eyed and excited as she was now, on the day of her apprentice ceremony.

She had overheard Beetlestar speaking with Dapplefur last night, when the black tom and calico queen had thought she was fast asleep. In truth, she had been thinking of the little ginger kit that had been brought into the camp a few days earlier. Her dreams since then had been dotted with splotches of ginger and tortoiseshell fur, and she would always wake wondering if the kit would make it, even though she knew it wouldn't.

Yawning wide, Kestrelkit lifted herself to her paws and made her way to the entrance of the den. It must have been close to sun-high, though there was no sun to gauge the passing of the day by, as the dawn patrols had returned and RockClan was milling about the centre of the camp. Ripplestream and Dapplefur were still dozing in their nests and Brightkit and Skykit were rolling about in the mud outside of the nursery.

"Kestrelkit!" both of the smaller kits squealed when the tortoiseshell came into view. She flicked her ear to acknowledge she had heard them, but turned her head in the direction of a cool breeze that was floating through the canyon instead. It tugged at her whiskers with its breath, pulling her fur back and whistling past her ears. This was one of the feelings she loved most and she found herself enjoying it immensely - until a splash of mud came up, accompanied by two small bodies.

Groaning, Kestrelkit rolled out from underneath the other two kits, shaking out her dirty fur. Though appearances had never been very important to her, for obvious reasons, she found the mud weighing down on her body today, leaving her feeling self-conscious and small. She wanted to look her best for her apprentice ceremony, even if she would never be able to check her reflection in the stream.

Twisting around in an effort to lick the gunk off, she found herself struggling to reach most of it. Off to her left she could hear the giggles of the other two kits as they watched their denmate's antics, apparently finding her discomfort amusing. Kestrelkit ignored them, going about her cleaning as best as she could and refusing to let her special day be ruined.

"Kestrelkit, what have I told you about playing in the mud?" Her mother's exasperated voice drifted from the nursery and, if Kestrelkit had been able to see Brightkit and Skykit, they would have both received very angry glares. Before she could explain the situation, her mother was expertly cleaning the mud off of her.

When the kit's fur was clean enough for Dapplefur's standards, she stepped back, observing her only kit. While Kestrelkit was blissfully unaware of the scrutiny she was going under, she also missed the soft expression her mother's face changed into.

"Your father would have been so proud," Dapplefur said. Kestrelkit purred softly, though her pelt still burned with embarrassment. She didn't want to seem like she was disregarding her mother's words, especially when it came to the way she looked. The queen was, apparently, one of the most beautiful she-cat's in the Clan and obviously wanted her daughter to reflect that.

"Now, are you ready for your ceremony?" There was hesitation in her mother's voice and, somewhere deep down, Kestrelkit knew that the queen half wanted her daughter to say no, to stay in the safety of the nursery for a moon or two more.

But Kestrelkit knew that today was the day. She would have to take the real world on sooner or later and the idea of sitting in the nursery with Brightkit and Skykit for so much as another day made her want to run as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Yes," the she-cat replied, holding her head high.

"Good," came a deep purr from her right and Kestrelkit swivelled her ears towards Beetlestar. She heard a thump as he leaped onto the Fallen Tree and spoke the usual words that called the rest of the Clan to the centre of the camp.

The tortoiseshell kit stepped forward shakily and, though she had walked this very path from the nursery to the Fallen Tree many times before, she suddenly felt uncertain. What if today, of all days, she did something wrong? She was enough of a laughing stock for some in the Clan as it was.

Her mother nudged her forward gently and Kestrelkit began to move, keeping her paw steps even and purposeful as she approached the centre of the camp. It took all of her effort to make her fur lie flat as she felt the eyes of RockClan turn to her and she worried that her divided attention would cause her to bump into something - or someone.

Instead, she heard the soft shifting of paws and fur as they moved out of her way, watching her pass through before closing their ranks behind her. Kestrelkit stopped when she felt the ground change from hard rock to that of a sandy nature, which meant that she was close to the Fallen Tree. She felt the sand shift as Dapplefur settled down behind her, giving her kit one last swift lick before turning her attention to Beetlestar.

"Kestrelkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed." The small tortoiseshell turned her head in the direction of her leader, heart pounding an anxious rhythm in her chest. Was it really only this morning that she had been so excited for her apprentice ceremony?

"From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Kestrelpaw. Your mentor will be Gentlefern and it is my hope that she will pass down all she knows to you."

As Beetlestar went to address the warrior she-cat, Kestrelpaw let out the breath she had not realized she was holding in. In her mind, she had been frantically going through the possibilities of having Palethorn as her mentor, who she was terribly afraid of, or someone like Silverhawk, who always called her names. Gentlefern was a good match, if there ever was one.

"Gentlefern, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be kind and patient and you will be mentor to Kestrelpaw. I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

The newly named apprentice felt a nose touch her forehead and she lifted her own up to meet it, a small purr escaping her as the anxiety faded away. She was an apprentice now!

"We'll take a tour of the territory tomorrow," her new mentor said kindly. "Hopefully the sky clears by then." Kestrelpaw nodded eagerly, excited to get to know her Clan's borders.

"Why would a blind apprentice need a tour?" The snarky comment came from somewhere behind her and the she-cat recognized it to be the voice of Silverhawk, one of the younger warriors. Kestrelpaw felt her excitement begin to fade, the good mood she had woken up in completely dissipated.

"It's not like she'll see anything anyway," added Badgerclaw, the silver warrior she-cat's brother.

"It's no wonder you two are terrible at hunting," butted in another voice and, shocked, Kestrelpaw realized it was Emberpaw, one of the more gruff she-cat's in the Clan. "Seems that your noses and ears don't even work half as well as they should." The two young warriors were silent, which was strange; had they been admonished by any other apprentice, they would have fought right back.

Kestrelpaw turned in Emberpaw's direction, about to thank her, but was cut off by the loud growl of Palethorn.

"My question is if there's even a point to showing her the territory." There was a thud as the tom jumped up onto the Fallen Tree next to Beetlestar. "The prey is slowly disappearing, it's been raining for days, and the leader who brought us here is dead." The rest of the Clan had fallen silent and Kestrelpaw pricked her ears as she listened further.

"I propose that we leave this place while we still can," the tom continued. "There must be plenty of places where we could settle without having to worry about the heat killing us or our supposed 'prey' striking back."

Before he could continue, Beetlestar cut in. "Yes, there are many places. In the past two season cycles, we've been through four of them."

"Palethorn has a point," Frostfur called. "Those last four territories cost us many good cats. Maybe, if we leave now, we could prevent more from being taken from us."

"Who is to say that this time we'll be forced to leave?" said Morningbreeze. "We could very well be leaving the one place that is safe."

"But do we really want to endanger the lives of our kits?" Ripplestream's voice was high-pitched and nervous.

"StarClan would send us a sign if we were not safe here," Beartooth assured the queen.

The comments continued and, to Kestrelpaw, the argument seemed pointless. She remembered the stories Thistleclaw and Goldfur would tell of the forest where RockClan - then OakClan - used to live and of all of the battles they had fought. There had been foxes and badgers, dogs and Twolegs, and many brave cats had died for their Clan. The way Kestrelpaw saw it, death was inevitable, no matter where the Clan went. If someone were able to tell just how many cats would die here, however...

The tortoiseshell pushed the thought aside, remembering Silverhawk's snide comment. Kestrelpaw refused to expose a part of herself that would make her even more of a freak than she already was.

"You would lead this Clan to believe that it is safe here, when clearly it isn't?" Palethorn said loudly, cutting into the apprentice's thoughts. She felt her fur bristle and knew from the sudden sense of discomfort in the air that she was not the only one.

"The Clan _is_ safe here," Beetlestar replied, a note of tension in his usually calm voice.

This seemed to anger Palethorn further, as a growl escaped from his throat. Before he could retort, another voice joined in.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you suggesting that our leader is incapable of leading?" Martenfur's voice rang out loud and clear over the assembled cats. A murmur went up among them and, even to Kestrelpaw's young ears, the challenge in Martenfur's voice was evident. The tom received no answer from the older warrior.

"Please return to your Clan duties," Beetlestar said in a clipped tone, landing lightly on the floor of the canyon. Paws were shuffled as the Clan rose, some of its members brushing past Kestrelpaw and congratulating her on their way to resume whatever they had been doing earlier. All walked away with that same feeling of anxiety that had arisen when Palethorn had spoken clinging to their fur.

She nodded respectfully in thanks but, though she was surrounded by her Clanmates, the apprentice felt strangely isolated. Her emotions were a mess and seemed to have taken over her body, a mixture of disappointment, hurt and guilt. She had always thought the day of her apprentice ceremony would be incredibly special, but it felt as if the ceremony itself had just been pushed aside by the argument. The guilt stemmed from the fact that, had today not been the day of her ceremony, the Clan would not have been gathered together at all and the argument might not have happened.

She could tell that it had caused a rift within the Clan. Even now, she could hear Beetlestar pacing about his den and the soft voice of Morningbreeze as she tried to speak with him. Palethorn and Frostfur were whispering angrily to each other not too far off.

A crack of thunder sounded overhead, crashing through her thoughts, and Kestrelpaw felt a single drop of water fall onto her nose. Sighing, she rose to return to her den before realizing that she didn't quite know where that was. The nursery was no longer where she would spend her nights and, though she knew that staying a kit forever was impossible, she missed her warm nest there already.

Feeling somewhat lost, she began to make her way in the direction she thought led to the apprentice den. A soft growl stopped her and Kestrelpaw felt her fur bristle, the feeling of someone's eyes on her making her uncomfortable.

"Come on, I'll show you to our den," said her observer. The new apprentice, for the second time that day, did not get the chance to thank Emberpaw as the older she-cat moved quickly away, leading her to her new nest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Terribly sorry for the late update, but life got in the way a little (the details of which I won't bore you with here). Instead, why don't you let me know what you thought of this chapter? I find Kestrelkit very challenging to write because I feel like I can't use visuals, since she's blind. I do hope that I got her emotions across though, as well as the general tension in the air. Thanks for reading!**

**- Spirit**


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